


New Moon - an alternate ending

by Kittykatzrq



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 13:05:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 46,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14977754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittykatzrq/pseuds/Kittykatzrq
Summary: 1500 yrs after the end of Naraku, Inuyasha continues his quest in a distant future accompanied by a young miko with a soul that demons will do anything to devour. [A what if continuation/ending, M - language, some violence, & suggestive content]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A little something from 10ish years ago that I thought I'd revisit :P

**An Alternate Ending**

By Kitty

* * *

 

“I’m taking Boba!” a young female of raven black hair called back to her mother as she departed the building.  Silver anklets jingled merrily as she walked to her vehicle. It was shaped like a water droplet, resting lightly on the grass in front of her home.  Tiny reflections from the nanochips inside the strange, globular contraption glittered in the artificial sunlight. The girl paused briefly in front of Boba, checking her pale blue outfit one last time.  Pastel colors that imitated a cloudless sky adorned her sleek curves. The small skirt and broad sleeved tank hid her frame but gave full view of her fawn like legs, delicate and lively. She was barefoot, as everyone in the dome was.  There was never any need to cover feet, as temperatures never dropped below 21°C and everything was kept sparkling clean.

“Keiko!  Don’t forget your Checklet!” an older woman cried, emerging from the house holding a nearly transparent gold colored band.  Keiko turned and gratefully accepted the bracelet, slipping it onto her right hand. It glowed and pulsed for a moment before reporting:  “Account confirmed. Keiko Honda, you have fifty nine point oh one UOCs.”

“Thanks mom!” Keiko said before placing her hand on Boba.  This contraption began to speak as well: “Identification confirmed:  Keiko Honda.” Keiko smiled at her mother as a long hole appeared in the side of the bubble.  Climbing in, Boba spoke again: “Please select destination.” Inside the translucent droplet of modern technology, the anti-gravity mechanisms whirred to life, lifting the young teenager into the center.  Small screens appeared below her as the upper half of the bubble cleared away to deliver an unobstructed view of the outside. 

Pressing a holographic button underneath her, Keiko said in a chipper voice, “Cyan Shopping Outlet.”  Boba responded immediately: “Destination confirmed. Estimated driving time: fourteen point six three minutes.”  As Boba began to head towards the shopping outlet, Keiko’s fingers found more memorized buttons and soon music filled the air.  Another button lowered the ceiling, transforming the vehicle into an open top convertible, so that the wind could lift her hair and tease her skirt.

Just behind Boba, another vehicle came to life, a smaller motorcycle-like contraption hovering above the pathway.  Bearing a very different passenger, it traced the girl’s route all the way to Cyan. Parking a slight distance away, a young man with sleek long hair stepped towards the crowded mall.  He slipped on a pair of sunglasses and stared at the sky. ‘All artificial and fake,’ he thought despairingly, ‘you’re the only genuine thing this world has left to offer.’ Lowering his gaze, the lonely figure moved forward, towards the one thing he lived his life for.  The holographic sun shined overhead, digitally orchestrated birdsong filled the air. 

This is the world after a globally devastating nuclear holocaust.  The natural air is toxic and the view of Earth from space depicts of brown, noxious little planet, rocky terrain dusted with ash, cloudy atmosphere choked with poison.  Even the moon was a battleground, its face littered with nuclear missile launchers, some fired, others still awaiting their turn to attack. In this dismal world of pollution and death, no living organism survived on the surface of the world.  Instead, mankind constructed massive domed shelters of concrete and metal. Each only had one underground entrance and exit that led to the center of the city. These enormous cages held a completely different world from the outside. Life as it was known to be like in the 21 th century, prospered here.   The sun shone without gaseous clouds of pollutants to block its rays.  Trees grew from small plots of carefully tended land. Food was cloned or artificially created, technology had advanced to produce power whose waste was thrown outside the city, thus in these little habitats, the inhabitants knew little in the way of the dirty and diseased.  

...

Keiko ran up to a tall shapely girl browsing the windows of a hunting store.  The long haired brunette turned and smiled brightly to welcome the newcomer.

“Hey Keiko, finally showed up huh?” dark eyes smiled at the shorter female. 

Keiko smiled in return, “Hi Cor, where’s everyone else?”

Coral looked around, “Mer said he’d be here in five and Aiya went to the bathroom.”

Keiko ‘ohed’ then jumped, startled, for a moment before calmly turning and hollered into a surprised face, “Keep you’re hands to yourself, jackass.”

Coral laughed as the thoroughly chastised young man slunk off.  Aiya approached the girls, witnessing what had happened and bore a crooked smile of her own.  Merlin joined them a few moments later and the four friends wondered the innards of the mall, laughing and ignorant of the pair of shocked eyes following their every move.

“So, are you going to go to the dance with Ho-joon?” Coral asked, leaning forward on the small circular table the friends were seated around.  The boy was shy and polite, the perfect gentleman that every girl had a secret or not so secret crush on. Keiko had been in the spotlight for a while, constantly in the male idol’s company.  She’d received a lot of grief from jealous would-be Ho-joon girlfriends though she’d made it fairly clear to them all that she wasn’t interested in him that way. Apparently it was not clear enough.

“I… I really don’t like him like that,” Keiko responded, taking another sip from her latté.  Aiya laughed, canine fangs protruding from her soft puckered lips. It had been a long time since the girls had discovered Aiya’s secret heritage.  Born into a coyote demon clan, she was among a few select demons that were allowed to venture into the human world and make relationships among the mortals.  Long ago, the world became divided between immortals and humans. Though the humans didn’t know it, they were constantly monitored and influenced by demon power in an attempt to maintain the balance that humans so easily tipped.  

“You really should just say it to his face,” Aiya said, “He’s too thick brained to realize that every time to avoid him it’s because you don’t like him.”

“I have told him that!” Keiko whined, sending Coral and Merlin into merry giggles.

“I remember, I was there!” Mer piped up, “Ho-joon just smiled and asked if Saturday would be better than Friday.”

“Damn,” Aiya whistled, “That dense, huh?”

“I know,” Keiko said, standing up, “But the least of my problems.”

Everyone in the group rolled their eyes; Keiko was Ho-joon’s counter part in the school.  If every girl wanted Ho-joon, every guy wanted Keiko. The problem was, Keiko wanted nobody.  Much to Aiya’s chagrin, seeing as her ‘poor’ friend hadn’t gone on a date since ever. It had become something of Aiya’s personal mission, to bring Keiko into the world of men.  She’d gone through lists upon lists of potential suitors that may interest Keiko, from holy men to demons, gothics to jocks. There was simply nothing that would satisfy her. The self-placed mission was something of a tactic to remove Aiya’s own crush’s attention from the popular girl.  Kentaro was another demon allowed to live in the human world. His clan was the deeply rooted wolf pack said to have been involved with the disappearance of a mystical jewel. In fact, one of his great ancestors was said to have directly combated the Evil One, possessor of the tainted jewel.  Of course this was all legend and nonsensical hype. Very few still believed in the legend of the miko from another world, brought into the past to eradicate unspeakable evil.

The friends later wandered through the racks of a clothing store, allowing Coral and Merlin to slip away for some private time.  Keiko wandered through an aisle, not noticing the body in front of her before she’d run her nose into its chest.

‘Half-demon,’ her developing spiritual sense told her.  ‘Harmless,’ it said after a moment’s inspection. Keiko looked up at the young hanyou, squeaking out an apology in the process.  She couldn’t see his eyes through the shades but her sense saw past his concealment and gave her a glimpse of two snowy white furred triangles atop his head.  

He stared at her for a long moment, taking in her confused crystal grey eyes and stubborn chin.  A critically trained eye, he ran over the lines that defined her face, the laughing lines in the corner of her eyes, the full lips that could spit out the nastiest of comebacks, earnest expression, bright cheeks, glowing skin… however…

Keiko had begun to feel nervous as the unknown man stared her down through his glasses.  He said nothing, no expression in his straight lips. There was something mysterious about him, something that drew her in.  Yet his silence made her nervous, frightened almost, as though something big were about to happen that she had no power to prevent.  And then he spoke.

“Still too young, but soon.”

Keiko could only stare at his back as his fluid gate pulled him away from her.  His voice, a deep honeyed tenor sent shivers down her spine. He’d said ‘too young’, too young for what?  She was 17 already, almost ready to move out and begin her own life. ‘But soon he said,’ Keiko thought, ‘soon what?  … creepy…’ Keiko shrugged and continued her perusal of the sale’s rack.

...

It was the last day of finals and Keiko was having trouble.  Finishing what seemed like ages ago, the young girl settled down for a long wait.  After this, she was finally and truly free. As a spiritually gifted member of society, she wasn’t expected to move on to college, in fact, very few did.  Her gift would lead her down a different path, one that brought her to the shrine she will be living in. She will act as a spiritual medium, exorcising ghosts and blessing charms.  A simple life that held an iceberg of secrets. Most of her exorcisms will be done at night, hidden. She was recruited by none other than the storybook Lord of the Western Lands. Only he was no mere storybook character.  Rogue demons and stray ghosts still littered the city and it would be her job to deal with them. She already had her first assignment, and was positively bursting at the prospect of tackling it.

The soft peeling of the school bell brought Keiko back into reality as students stood and stretched before clustering amongst themselves to compare answers.  Keiko herself was instantly surrounded by her close friends, sharing a few moments of chatter before becoming enveloped by a sea of young men. All except a silver haired youth in the back of the room, scratching the small pulsing charm on his wrist, annoyed about having to suppress his aura to remain undetected.  

Inuyasha was stunned as very familiar faces first approached the girl.  Voices from the distant past echoed in his head as he watched the friends banter amongst themselves.  The tall girl and young man were obviously an item. Their behavior was so reminiscent of the ancient days where a cursed monk and lonely female warrior found each other.  He hadn’t seen them in over 1500 years. Never before had their souls resurfaced in his travels. The other girl was familiar, too, her scent broadcasting a demon lineage. She would be the first youkai he’d seen in many years.

The lone man returned his attention to the last female.  ‘Keiko, so that’s her name,’ he thought. As he watched, another young man approached her.  ‘Hmph,’ he thought, ‘still endlessly surrounded by suitors and hormone driven droolers.’ It had been hard, very hard, watching her through the years, surrounded by potential mates, yet unable to defend his claim.  ‘But soon…’ he thought, ‘you’ll be mine.’

...

Keiko sat below the giant tree in her new front yard, her new giant front yard.  She’d been waiting for a long time and her charge was late. Lord Sesshomaru had charged her with the responsibility of housing a homeless demon for an unknown time.  Keiko didn’t know who the demon was or why she must take care of it, but she was looking forward to some company. Barely settled in, she was beginning to feel the emptiness of her new vast grounds.  While the house itself was small and cozy, and the shrine house was small enough for a single person to take care of, the grounds were extensive and being aware of this fact sent cold shivers of loneliness through her heart.

...

Inuyasha stomped angrily away from a large chamber in a darkened building.  The door echoed shut behind him as a string of unconcealed curses fell from his lips.  ‘Damn him!’ Inuyasha thought, ‘I’ve done fine all these centuries, why does he want to meddle in my business now?!’

Taking a swift leap from a balcony window, the dog hanyou retrieved the keycard to his apartment from a jacket pocket before approaching the gates.  A young guard stood at attention next to a small spider demon. The spider had somehow fashioned a lab coat to fit her many arms and she was working away busily at a large computer by the gate.  The guard saw him coming first and spoke up loudly, “Demon way or human world?”

“Human,” Inuyasha replied gruffly, “Kento Port, eastside.”

The spider nodded, humming to herself as her spindly arms found the correct places before asking the hanyou to step onto a small raised platform.  Soon the machine was ready and whirred its confirmation: “Kento port route established, please step through the gate.”

Inuyasha braced himself before taking the step.  It hit him all at once, though he truly should be used to it by now.  Nauseated, the hanyou doubled over, gritting his teeth, as invisible hands latched onto his body, pulling him through the portal.  All his senses were a blur as the blinding light was replaced by a soft glow above his head, signaling that his trip was over. Pushing the glowing button, the doors in front of him slid open and he stepped out of the arrival capsule and back into humanity.  

The building he found himself in was run by demons.  There were only three ports that allowed travel to and from demon world.  Of the three, Kento port was the only one that reliably sent and received travelers to and from their destinations.  Inuyasha moved swiftly from the capsule and out into the parking lot. Finding his motorcycle once more, Inuyasha started the engine with his hand, the motorcycle recognizing its owner.  The drive home was a quick one, Sesshoumaru wanted his half-brother close to the portals at all times. ‘For quick and easy summoning,’ he’d said. Arriving, he quickly went to his room before solemnly beginning to pack, his few belongings tucked away in only a few short moments.  Inuyasha grumbled, a frown creasing his forehead. Inside, he could hear his half-brother’s words echoing in his mind, ‘Kagome’s is a wanted soul,’ Sesshoumaru had said, ‘It will grant any wish of that which devours it.’

Growling, Inuyasha shook his head and hefted his now loaded bag.  ‘What the fuck did he mean by that?’ Inuyasha screamed in his head, ‘Wish my ass!  All her soul ever brings is a ton of waiting, agonizing and frustration, only alleviated by a few short moments of …’  Inuyasha’s cheeks bore a slight tint of pink as his thoughts trailed off. Along with a heightened vocabulary, the hanyou had learned a lot from Kagome through the years.  But despite everything she’d taught him, he just couldn’t lose his innocent blushing embarrassment for some of the skills he’d picked up from her. Mounting his bike again, the half-demon raced off to an old shrine, one that held countless memories for the time hardened young man.

...

Keiko sighed in her sleep, leaning against the stout tree.  What had the demon lord called it? The God’s Tree? Something like that.  It was perhaps among the last of any real tree species to exist on this planet.  Even the brief expanse of forest behind her new shrine was fake, plastic trees built by nanotechnology imitating growth and photosynthesis.  Keiko sighed again, her head gently resting against its rough bark, feeling peace as the ageless being sheltered her from the setting sunrays.  The first warning came in the tingling of her senses, nothing alarming, just a problem that can be fixed later. The tingling began to buzz, closer and closer it crept, until it finally reached the top of the stairs.  Keiko tiredly opened her eyes, noticing the setting sun behind her. Sitting up she turned to look at the shrine’s entrance. Before her stood a tall young man, his hair ran like silver ripples down to his waist. 

Keiko stood up quickly, brushing herself off and cleared her throat.  The man seemed oddly familiar to her as she greeted him cheerily.

“Hello sir!  Can I help you?”  

The man gave no reply, his lips remaining a straight line.  Instead, he simply thrust a sheet of paper out to her. Startled somewhat, Keiko turned her attention to the forms, reading it softly out loud.

“What’s this?  Hmm… Name: Inuyasha Higurashi, Race:  half dog demon, half Japanese, Age:…” Keiko’s eyes widened to the size of truck tires, “1567 years?!”

Inuyasha winced, ears inside his hat laying flat against his head.  He removed his sunglasses to glare at the girl before him, “Oi, wench, ‘the fuck are you screeching about?”

Keiko eyed the demon before her, noting his golden eyes and pointed fangs.  “Um… you’re my new ward?”

Inuyasha sighed and rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, deal,” he said before shoving past her and leaping into an open window of the house.

Keiko stood outside for a moment, bewildered, then finally regaining her bearings and snapping around, angered grey eyes sparkling and marched into the house the conventional way to give her new charge a piece of her mind.  

“Hey!  You can’t just barge in here like this!” Keiko said angrily, a fist firmly anchored on each hip.

“Keh, I live here now, moron,” Inuyasha shot back.  God, he missed this.

Keiko’s eyes darkened, “You’re MY charge, so you have to listen to me.”

Inuyasha smirked for the first time in half a century, “Yeah?  Make me!”

“Why you…” Keiko growled low in her throat, her voice lost in a feral grumble.  Inuyasha raised an amused eyebrow, ‘Seems like each time she gets better at that.’

Keiko pointed to a seat at the table where a cold dinner waited dejectedly, “Sit dow-“ CRASH!

The newly appointed miko stared in confusion, not sure what to make of the now prone half-demon laying on her floor.  If she strained her ears, she could make out of string of words that could make a sailor blush.

‘Fucking beads!’ Inuyasha thought, alternating between mind and vocal trains of thought, “That was sooner than fucking last time!”

“Um…?” a voice above him brought him back to reality, “What was that?  You better not have scratched my floor.”

Inuyasha retorted with a growl of his own, his claws flexing menacingly, inciting the scent of fear from his new housemate.  Inuyasha gruffly got up and sat down next to the cold meal and proceeded to empty the dishes. Keiko watched fascinated as the food disappeared into the man’s mouth.  Finally she looked at the clock and said, “When you’re done, put those in the sink, I’m going to bed, you’re room’s the one at the end of the hallway, if you need anything, just take it, but be neat about it, good night.”

Inuyasha’s ears flicked under the cap he wore and he nodded.  Keiko retreated up the stairs before settling on her bed, wondering what she was going to do with this new impossible housemate.  Keiko sighed, whatever she’d been expecting, she certainly wasn’t expecting this grouchy young – old!!! – man. She rubbed her temples before turned to prepare for bed.  When she finally snuggled into the sheets, Koinu, her white stuffed dog in her arms, she found the face of her new ward in her mind as she drifted off into sleep

As soon as the girl disappeared up the stairs, Inuyasha stopped eating, a nostalgic expression seeping over his features.  In his mind he watched Mrs. Higurashi shuffle about preparing him ramen, Souta begging him to play videogames and that old aged man waving ofudas in the air.

After he’d finished and cleaned the dishes he silently walked up the stairs, voices and sounds from long ago ringing in his mind.  Passing by the room, he paused, heart aching, needing to see her. Soundlessly opening the door a crack, his eyes found the creature of his suffering and joy.  The room was decorated almost identically to its last owner’s preferences. A large stuffed dog stood watch over the sleeping girl and Inuyasha could almost see himself, in the corner, tetsaiga in his arms, guarding the bed.  Years of experience helped him repress the urge to join his long ago claimed mate in bed. She wouldn’t accept him kindly like that. 

Inuyasha turned and walked down the hall, lost in thought.  As he sat down in the corner of his room, preparing for sleep, he whispered under his breath, “Goodnight:  Kikyou, Kagome, Kristen, Kitlali, Kiara, Kelly, Katerina, Kara, Kayla, Kaitlin, Kosi, Kagiso, Khanna, Kim, and Keiko.”

...

“Hey Keiko!” a cheerful voice called when he finally answered the door, “Wait, who are you?  This is Sunset Shrine right?” 

Inuyasha’s confused face mouthed the name, ‘Miroku’, before being shoved aside.

“Inuyasha?  Who is it- oh hey!  Mer! Cor! How’s it going?”  Keiko happily shoved her way past the half demon to greet her friends.

“Hey Keiko,” Coral said, “Is that the demon you were telling us about?”

Keiko nodded, “Everyone, this is Inuyasha.  Inuyasha, this is Merlin and Coral, they’re my friends from high school.”

“Keiko’s BEST friends,” Cor chirped, “Hey Keiko, we’re going to watch the new werewolf movie, you know, the one with Kouga Takai in it?”

Keiko’s eyes lit up, while Inuyasha glowered at the prospect of watching his old rival on screen, “Sure!  I’ve been wanting to see it for a while! Hey, Inuyasha, lets to watch a movie.”

“Do I have to?” Inuyasha whined, only to notice that he was already being dragged off to it as he spoke.

“I don’t think we’ll all fit,” Mer said as they approached his bubble, “Keiko, you don’t have Boba anymore do you?”

Keiko gave a lopsided smile, “Nope, I left it at home since there’s no parking around here.”

The friends looked at each other for a moment, each trying to figure out a way to get all of them to the movie theater.  Inuyasha scoffed. 

“Keh, we can take my bike,” he said, dragging Keiko off to his motorcycle.

“Uh, wha?” Keiko uttered, before catching her footing and turning to her friends, “See you there, I guess.”

Coral and Merlin waved then boarded Mer’s bubble.  Meanwhile, Inuyasha was arguing with Keiko over helmets.

“No, you have to wear one too,” Keiko said firmly, “It’s not safe!”

“Keh, I’ve never had an accident in my life,” Inuyasha said, “In my very long life.”  He was hoping to gain some credit, knowing she was still struggling to comprehend the 15 century old lifetime he seemed to have.  “Besides, I haven’t killed you yet, getting the groceries on this thing!”

“Big deal,” Keiko snorted, “We’ll have to take the expressway this time.  When we get to the theater, we’re dropping by the mall next to it to get another helmet.”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and climbed on, “Just get on, hold tight and shut up.”

They raced to the theater, Inuyasha relishing the feeling of her arms around his stomach, this time, finally unfettered with bags and at speeds that require a tight grip around his hard body.  ‘It has been too long,’ he thought, ‘far too long.’

Keiko’s squeals of delight were blown away as they peeled down the street.  Inuyasha smirked, making a sharp turn and doing a few jumps and wheelies along the way, knowing how much she’d like it.  Keiko’s arms wrapped even tighter around his waist and Inuyasha knew he was going to have interesting dreams that night. Her thin shy fingers played with his shirt, eliciting memories of so many other times those same fingers memorized his abs the same way.  

When they finally reached the parking lot, Inuyasha immediately caught wind of the last thing he needed to smell.  Abruptly leaving Keiko to her friends, he went off to intercept the scent. 

“Yo Dog turd!” Kouga said cheerfully, “Imagine finding you at my movie premiere!”

“Stuff it, I didn’t have too much of a choice,” Inuyasha grumbled.  He noticed Kouga sniff there air and smile, sending another nasty growl up the hanyou’s throat.  

“Yo, dog turd,” Kouga said softly, “that her?”

Inuyasha didn’t have to look in the direction the wolf demon had nodded.  Still growling, Inuyasha confirmed the wolf demon’s guess.

“Damn, she gets prettier every time!”  Inuyasha gave Kouga a light punch in the shoulder.  The two demons had long ago settled their differences, but Inuyasha still couldn’t get over it when Kouga was around her.  ‘Not then, not ever,’ Kouga thought.

“Well, I’m going to watch my movie now,” Kouga said lightly, “I hope you enjoy it dog turd!”

“Keh, over my dead body,” Inuyasha grumbled as Kouga stifled a chuckle.  

The movie was vaguely familiar.  Though the characters and circumstance had changed, the main plot was the same.  A lone wolf, a young girl, and a love that spanned time and conquered hate. ‘Damn that wolf,’ Inuyasha thought, ‘taking my story and making money off of it.’

Keiko turned at the end of the movie to see how Inuyasha had enjoyed the movie.  She was surprised to see the flashes of emotion in his eyes. Fleeting bits of pain, adoration, hate, yearning and much more flew through his golden irises.  But what surprised her most was the direction of his gaze. He stared directly at her and his eyes drilled holes straight into her soul. His mouth moved and a soft masculine voice reached her ears.

“It’s been such a long time, Kagome.”

...

It had been a few weeks since he’d moved into the shrine.  Keiko just couldn’t figure him out. One minute he’d stare at her like she’d caused him immeasurable pain, and then suddenly he’d turn away, muttering nasty things which she’d combat with her own nasty vocabulary.  The fight may start out slowly but flames soon danced as the two argued, nervous shrine worshippers skittering away from the miko and demon. 

When they weren’t fighting, the couple hardly spoke two words to each other.  Keiko stayed up late on haphazard nights, going out to take care of one assignment or another so Inuyasha usually prepared food in the mornings.  Though they’d settled into a harmonious routine, each knowing and completing their chores without complaint, the toe stepping seemed to continue without signs of abating.  

“What do you mean there’s no more ramen?” Inuyasha cried, horrified and ireful, “There was a full cupboard yesterday!”

“I’m so sick of ramen for breakfast!” Keiko shot back, “I’m getting fat!”

Inuyasha eyed her suspiciously, “You… you tossed it all?!”

Keiko ‘hmphed’ but refused to answer.  That was the last straw for Inuyasha, “Dammit Kimberly!  I’ve fucking told you not to touch my fucking ramen!”

Keiko’s eyes squinted in hurt and frustration, “I’m not fucking Kimberly, you stupid ass hanyou!”  Inuyasha’s eyes widened a fraction, realizing he’d accidently slipped again. It always happened in the beginning.  After spending decades waiting, with only the voices of all her previous incarnates in his head, it was usually difficult to get back into the habit of using only one name.

Keiko, not finished, continued, “I’m not Kikyou or Kara or Kagiso or Kagome either!  Get it right for once, my name is KEIKO! You fucking player!”

Inuyasha looked up startled, “What?  Player? What the fuck?”

Keiko took a deep breath, trying to even out her emotions, “Don’t try to lie: all those names?  Just how many women have you slept with?”

‘Only 11 of them,’ Inuyasha thought, but time had taught him many lessons, and one of them was to keep his mouth shut.  Instead he growled before leaping away from the shrine.

“Hey!  Where’re you going?” Keiko yelled after him, “I’m not finished with you yet!”

His voice echoed faintly back to her as he bellowed, “I’m getting more ramen, fucking ramen stealing wench!”

...

That night the first demon attacked.  It was a surprise attack though extremely easy to deal with.  The demon was a lesser one, the little mischief kinds that even a miko in training to take down with her eyes closed.  The only frightening part was how determined it was to reach her.

“Oh no you don’t, fucking fucker!” Inuyasha growled, slicing through the little rat demon’s heart.  It lay on the ground, fur singed from dodging so many purifying bullets. As it wheezed to its death, Keiko heard its last words, chills running down her spine.

“Soul…” it said, thickly with pain and bile, “I… must eat… that soul!”

As the last words left the rat, Inuyasha’s claws put an end to the miserable creature’s vocal cords.  He turned to see a heart-wrenching sight. Keiko held her chest as though in pain, horror building in her lush grey eyes.  “What does it want with my soul?” she kept asking, over and over. The experience, though simple enough to handle, had left marks.  Inuyasha turned to the young miko, holding out a sympathetic hand. When she took it, the clawed appendage gave hers a light squeeze.  Keiko looked up at Inuyasha, her open-mouthed expression of fear bleeding away into a small smile. Inuyasha grinned back, his fangs flashing as he said softly, “Let’s go make some ramen!”

Keiko just rolled her eyes and allowed the demon she trusted to lead her into the house.

...

The young girl looked at herself critically in the mirror.  Her new night uniform rang bells of familiarity in her mind.  Lord Sesshoumaru’s note had said that it was an ancient set of armor that was used many centuries ago in the battling of stray youkai.  The dark thick fabric clung tightly to her body as she slid on the thick gloves that came with the set. It had also come with two gun slings that attached to her thighs, as well as a belt that held several rounds of ammunition.  Slim plates of armor covered her abdomen and back; shin, elbow and shoulder guards, the color of deep red blood were also attached. A slim sword was slipped to her waist and Keiko held a silver mask, examining the odd contraption in curiosity.  

“Keiko!  It’s almost time to go.  Aren’t you ready yet, wench?” Inuyasha hollered from below.  Keiko just rolled her eyes, before gathering her wavy her in a high pony tail and racing down the stairs.  Inuyasha gasped in shock when he saw her. ‘Sango…’ his mind said to him, watching the miko approach him. He gave out a long suffering sigh before asking, “Let me guess, Sesshy sent you a giant boomerang too?”

“ _ LORD _ Sesshoumaru,” Keiko said, “has a new assignment for us.”

Since the last attack, the giant spider demon nearly successfully killing Keiko and sucking out her soul, Inuyasha had forced his way into her nightly missions.  ‘There ain’t no fucking way I’m letting you go out there to get killed,’ he’d said.

“Oh,” Keiko’s voice bringing his mind back to the present, “and Lord Sesshoumaru’s note said that you should bring you’re tetsaiga this time, whatever that means.”

Inuyasha looked shocked, in fact, he was.  Sesshoumaru had made it forbidden for demons to walk the human world while carrying demonic weapons.  It was just one way to ensure that humans wouldn’t find out about them. Since he’d long ago learned to control his blood, Inuyasha never needed the tetsaiga in battle anymore, not since the 1700s.  Why would he need the sword now? Was Sesshoumaru suggesting that the next demon they were hunting was incredibly powerful?

‘Keh, like hell,’ Inuyasha thought, ‘after Naraku, there’s nothing I can’t handle.’

They walked about many alleyways the demon was reported to have been last seen, yet there was no sign of it.  Keiko was tired and ready for a midnight snack. Turning to Inuyasha, she shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

“Think we should call it a night?”  No sooner had those words left her lips when something hit her from behind.  The armor on her body flared as an unearthly howl echoed through the alley. Inuyasha was on her in an instant, his concerned golden eyes roving her body.

“Are you alright?” He asked in a voiced riddled with worry and anger.

“I think so,” Keiko said, and then snapped her head in another direction, “I can feel it now.  It’s coming!”

Inuyasha turned to face the new threat.  The centipede demon was shaking its head, smoke rising from the wound where it had rammed itself straight into the barrier protecting the miko.  Inuyasha growled, ‘so I get to meet another Mistress Centipede huh?’

Keiko had her gun out and aimed.  A silent streak of white light flew from the firearm, landing squarely on the creatures head.  The demon roared its fury and pain, striking at the girl. Keiko looked on wide eyed, why didn’t it incinerate from her bullet?

“You think you’re little tricks will save you again?” the centipede asked, “This time, even without the jewel, I will rake your little pet through this alley until his blood covers every inch.  And then, my pretty, I will take your soul.”

Inuyasha growled, “Fucking die!” leaping into the air, claws bared.  Mistress Centipede only laughed, swatting the hanyou away like nothing.

“You’re precious isn’t the only soul that’s gotten stronger,” her fanged lips curved into a sadistic smile, “And you, my poor hanyou, haven’t even grown at all!”

Inuyasha had landed in a not so welcoming trash bin, its contents spilling onto the street.  Mistress Centipede grabbed the dog demon by the neck and flung him into the opposite wall. Keiko’s eyes poured tears as his agonizing scream tore through the air.  ‘Ok,’ Keiko said to herself, ‘it’s ok, surprise attack but we can recover.’

Keiko dodged to the right to gain a better shot.  She noticed how the centipede’s head and torso were covered in a hard exoskeleton.  ‘That must be what protects her from my shots,’ she thought, setting her sights on the insect demon’s joints.  While a sheet of armor is protective, something strong will not bend easily, therefore, the demon’s shell will only extend over surfaces that don’t need to bend.  Keiko aimed and shot toward the creature’s left underarm. 

Mistress Centipede grunted in shock as the burning sensation of purification energy ripped her left arm off.  She rounded on Keiko, hate dripping from her blood red eyes.

“So,” she said in a dangerously low voice, “my pretty wants to play rough?”

Keiko was backing up, trying to find another place where the steely armor ended.  Inuyasha was just barely keeping his consciousness, struggling to stand and make his way to her.  

“Then rough I will play!” the hellish beast announced, her voice ringing off into the night.  Lashing forward with her tail, the demon struck Keiko at her side. Though the protective charms on the armor held, the sheer force of the blow sent Keiko rocketing down the alleyway.  Barrier only being a protection against demonic attacks, the pavement roughly scratched her prone body, tearing away some of the uniform’s fabric. Keiko cautiously stood, warily eyeing the demon before her.

Mistress Centipede howled with laughter, “Is the all powerful guardian of the Shikon no Tama at her end?”  Keiko, not understanding what the demon was telling her, braced herself for the next attack, hold both her guns out in front of her, steel grey eyes narrowed, focused only on her target.  

The scent of her blood tickled his nose.  It helped clear his head and stand. Five decades, he’d lived and waited for her to return to him.  He finally found her and he’d be damned if he let her die and wait another five to find her again. He would lose his mind first.  Inuyasha set his jaw and braced his wobbly legs. He drew on a power he hadn’t used in centuries. With a flash and a shing, the sword came loose from its scabbard and grew larger.  Mistress Centipede, sensing the attack from behind, turned to see while Keiko sighted her chance. Aiming for the soft uncovered stretch of neck, Keiko squeezed the trigger of both her weapons just as she heard his voice crying, “Tessaiga!”

Both assaults reached their target simultaneously and the demon screamed into the night, “NOOOO!  I’ll have your soul yet my pretty!” As her body disintegrated, the centipede reached for the girl, her hand falling to the ground a mere foot away before fading into dust.

“Inuyasha!” Keiko cried, rushing over to the still tottering demon.  She felt his clawed hands brush away her hair, finding the cut on her head.

“Keh, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a good knocking,” he said.  Taking a few good sniffs to make sure she wasn’t seriously injured, he sat down to lean against the wall, “This is embarrassing, she was such an easy kill last time.”

Keiko eyed him worriedly, “What do you mean by that?”  Had his skull taken a hard crack?

The demon before her just smiled, looking at her face.  “Keiko…” he said softly, “at least this time you held your own…”

...

“Come on!” Keiko said, “I haven’t been out to party in forever!”

“Keh…” Inuyasha muttered, “Lame ass stupid hormone dripping sex fiends…”

Keiko giggled and climbed onto the motorcycle.  Inuyasha looked at her quizzically before mounting in front of her.  They’d finished their night’s hunt early, just a little weakling demon that spouted some nonsensical ‘I must eat your soul’ business.  

Earlier that week, Coral had mentioned a party at Mer’s apartment and Keiko was determined to make it.  She’d drilled Inuyasha through the week’s chores and assignments. The worn out young man wanted nothing more than to stay home and feast on his newly restocked ramen cupboard.  Sadly, it was not to be.

Inuyasha took the long route, relishing the ride before surrendering to the cacophony that came with college parties.  Keiko pressed her body against him as he swerved between cars; Inuyasha’s senses faced the dilemma of what to focus on: driving or the girl clinging to his back.

When they finally reached the apartment, the two young people walked into a wall of din, heat and beer.  Inuyasha stopped breathing for a second, trying to allow the rest of his sense to adjust before tackling the assault on his nose.  Keiko glanced at Inuyasha apologetically before getting tackling by a very drunk Coral.

“Keiko! (hiccup!) I’m so glad you could make it!” Coral leaned heavily against her as Keiko struggled with her weight, “Oh!  You brought Inuya…sshhhhaa!”

Inuyasha winced at the butchery to his name but nodded and greeted the inebriated girl.  Merlin stepped in to rescue the teetering Keiko, “Hey Keiko! Inuyasha! Glad you could make it!”

“Why aren’t you drunk?” Inuyasha asked, finally getting used to the atmosphere.

Mer smiled at the demon, “I make it a habit not to drink at my own parties, I want to be able to keep tabs on people, plus, I want to make sure Cor here doesn’t get herself into any trouble.”

Inuyasha nodded, “So I noticed.”

“Excuse me?” the troupe of friends turned to see the newcomer, Inuyasha stiffened at the scent of Kouga’s great-grandson, “Inuyasha?  My god it is you!”

Keiko turned to Inuyasha, “You know Kentaro?”

Inuyasha shrugged.  “I’ve met him once or twice,” he said noncommittally.  This should have been a warning to Kentaro, but unfortunately for the wolf demon, he was already quite tipsy.

“Once or twice?” Kent exclaimed, “You practically raised me!”

Mer and Cor looked at Inuyasha quizzically, seeing a young man who couldn’t be much older than 20 years.  Keiko dug into her brain to find anything that could explain how Inuyasha might know Kentaro when Inuyasha himself spoke up.

“You must mean my older brother; we look a lot alike.”  And with that, Inuyasha fled the scene.

Some time later, with Keiko under siege by Ho-joon questioning everything she’d done since high school, Inuyasha found himself dragged into a drinking game.  Beer pong, Inuyasha sneered, noticing how most of the partiers were human. Well, at least it was a way to pass the time until Keiko was ready to leave. He’d been watching her for a while, noticing how she was uncomfortable with the young human male’s attentions.  That Ho-joon character reminded him a lot of another young suitor always on Kagome’s tail. Inuyasha shrugged, if there was one thing he was grateful for, it was her soul’s gradual exclusiveness against other male attention over the years. Never did he have to worry after finding Kagome again in 2002 that her heart may be swayed by another man.

Looking back at his fully saturated opponent, Inuyasha said, “So, who’s next?”

“I will!” Keiko said abruptly, cutting Ho-joon off mid sentence.  Keiko pushed towards the table, plucking a ping pong ball from a passed out losing party.  Inuyasha eyed the slim girl in front of him.

“You sure?” he asked, “You look like a lightweight.”

Keiko flashed desperate eyes at the hanyou.  “I’ll take the shots for her!” Ho-joon piped, eager to stay involved.  Keiko sighed while Aiya dropped by to watch the game, laughing at Keiko’s attempt to get away from the thick headed young man.

“It’s ok, I’ll take my shots,” Keiko assured Ho-joon before turning her attention back to the table.  Ten minutes and many points later, Inuyasha supported a collapsing Keiko to the couch, trying to find a section that wasn’t beer soaked.  Ho-joon had long since passed out from his own drinks and Aiya was helping Kentaro back from the bathroom. Merlin came up to Inuyasha with a damp towel.

“Thanks,” Inuyasha said gruffly, wiping the building sweat from the barely conscious girl.  Merlin noticed how tender the demon’s touch was, how careful his hands were to ensure that the claws didn’t come near the skin.  Inuyasha cupped Keiko’s cheek, wiping away a wayward drop of drool, his thumb rubbing gentle circles against her cheek.

“What’s it been?  Three months at least huh?” Mer said to the attentive hanyou.  Inuyasha grunted, his thoughts focusing on the girl before him.

“Ever get the feeling you’ve met someone before, though you’re sure you haven’t” Merlin prodded.  He had an odd sense about this demon, though he couldn’t pinpoint it. But it was the same feeling he felt when he met Coral and Keiko for the first time.  Like he was meeting old friends.

Inuyasha shook his head, “Never.  But I have met many people, people whom I’ve met lifetimes before that come back to see me.”

Merlin, unsure if he was hearing right in the loud room, leaned closer, “Um… what?”

“There was an old woman I knew, a lot time ago.  She died only a few years after I met her. But Kaede was a stubborn old hag.  As she lay dying she tried to tell me something but it didn’t come out in time.  So she met me three centuries later to finish relaying that message. It was the first time anyone’s been able to retain their previous incarnation’s memories.”

Merlin raised an eyebrow and decided that perhaps Inuyasha was becoming affected by some drink, though he hadn’t noticed the hanyou ever taking a sip.  It eventually got late and Inuyasha carried Keiko back home. He rode slowly, with her in front, wanting nothing more than to pull over and lay somewhere with her in his arms.  But he knew he couldn’t do that, it would hurt his mark too much, to know that he was relishing in unconsented touch.

When they returned home he laid her in bed, gently brushing her hair away, almost giving into his urges when she reacted to him.  Out of curiosity, he leaned close to examine her neck. After Kagome, each incarnate bore a birth mark on the base of their neck, in the back to the left side.  There he saw it, four droplet-like marks resembling fangs, a bite mark, the only place that he ever looked to with a taste for blood. 

Leaning in even closer, he whispered so that his hot breath would tickle the mark, “I love you, Keiko.”

The girl in question sighed, an imperceptible tremor rushing through her body, as if to respond to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**An Alternate Ending Part II**

By Kitty

* * *

 

Keiko sat in the kitchen stirring a cup of hot chocolate.  Her Checklet lay on the table beside her, glowing slightly in the dark.  The day had gone well; she’d gone shopping with Coral, who was trying to find something nice for a party that night.  Aiya had come along, enigmatically happy about her demon ward, constantly asking questions and prying about Inuyasha. They’d been having a good time.  Nothing special.

That’s when it attacked.  In broad daylight no less.  Though she hadn’t brought her guns, there was thankfully a sword display in the next store and Aiya was strong enough to keep the demon busy before it tore the mall apart.  Everything was a mess, people panicking everywhere, even climbing over those that lost their footing and fell. The demon was a tough one, with its single goal apparently to reach Keiko, or her soul rather.

“What’s with this ‘I must eat that soul’ crap?” Keiko groaned to herself.

Keiko, at a lost for what to do, had thrown an overpowered sword at the thing, dissolving it immediately.  The damage to the building made it structurally unsound and she’d helped with the evacuation. Inuyasha had come bounding in two seconds too late to get a piece of the action.  He’d berated her for not being careful, licking (yes licking) clean her scrapes before hauling her away in his arms. Keiko rubbed a quickly disappearing gash on her thigh, her skin still tingling from the contact.  

“Kikyou,” he’d called her.  With her clothes all soiled and laundry still hanging out to dry, Keiko had donned a traditional miko costume from the Old days.  Inuyasha had looked at her stunned, his entire body stiff as a board. Then he’d called her Kikyou.

Keiko shook her head.  That was actually one of the less frequent names he’d called her.  Usually it was either Kimberly or Kagome. Each time he said any of those names, Kagiso, Kelly, Katerina, whatever, the expression on his face would change, if only for the briefest second, and a sad, distant look would flash over his features.  Kagome’s name typically brought the most heart broken of faces. What is with this? Did he just date and get dumped by a lot of girls whose names began with ‘K’?

“Keiko?”  The girl turned around quickly, startled out of her musings.  A meek looking young man stood at the doorway of the kitchen, watching her guardedly.  His name mistake had been the last straw in a stressful day and the young miko had unleashed all her pent up fury and frustration at the helpless hanyou.  Hollering “sit” countless times, she’d long ago learned the dreaded word’s effects; Inuyasha had to leap out of a crater the size of Manhattan before rejoining her in the house.  

“Inuyasha,” Keiko said, guiltily, “Sorry about before, I was really stressed out.”

Inuyasha seemed to relax, “Keh, you can vent on me all you want, just try not to use that particular word.”

Keiko smiled and nodded, pulling out another package of powdered chocolate and offered it to the demon.  Inuyasha shook his head but sat down at the table. They enjoyed each other’s company in silence for a few moments, Inuyasha’s hands itching to wrap her up in his arms again.  He knew from countless other times to take it slowly, but it was like trying to stuff his heart into a cage many times too small. He was startled when Keiko spoke up.

“Inuyasha?” she asked tentatively, and then waited for a sign to continue.  The demon grunted.

“Who was Kagome?”  Keiko observed Inuyasha carefully, knowing the demon was unlikely to really tell her much.

Inuyasha took a breath before saying, “Keiko?  How familiar are you with the legend of the Shikon no Tama?”

Keiko rolled her eyes.  ‘Shoulda known he wasn’t going to talk,’ she thought, then said, “I had to study it extensively since I’m now the priestess of this shrine, the one built in honor of those that spent their lives defending it.”

“So,” Inuyasha said, “You know about Kikyou?”

Keiko blinked, of course she knew about Kikyou, the first priestess commissioned to be the jewel’s guardian.  She’d failed so her soul was reborn and fifty years after her death she returned to complete the job. Kikyou was also a name Inuyasha sometimes called her when they were still new to each other and adjusting to living together.  It was also what he called her earlier this evening.

“The Kikyou that you sometimes mistake me for or the Kikyou priestess from the story?” Keiko asked.  

“They’re the same,” Inuyasha replied.  At her confused face he asked, “Wasn’t there also a dog hanyou involved in this legend?”

Keiko stared at him, realization dawning in her face.  Inuyasha gave her a wry smirk as her eyes grew wide. “Keh, didn’t see that coming did ya?”

“But!” Keiko exclaimed, “But that was 1500 years ago!  Even if you live for a really long time, hanyou life spans never last longer than 500 years!”

Inuyasha scowled and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Doesn’t the legend say what happened at the end?”

“Of course it does,” Keiko said before muttering, “The priestess from another world completed her mission and return to whence she came.  The Shikon no Tama vanished from the face of the earth and never again would the world see powerful evil like that of Naraku.”

The dog demon frowned at the mention of Naraku.  Sighing, Inuyasha said, “I guess the details were bound to fall out eventually.”

Keiko made to speak but found a finger on her lips, “I know how much you like cutting in, but this is a long story ok?”

Keiko nodded and Inuyasha smiled, “No interruptions.”

“Kikyou was killed by Naraku disguised as me.  We were going to meet that day to make a wish that would make me human.  By doing that, we could live together simply as man and woman, making a wish of love that would hopefully purify the jewel.  When Kikyou thought I attacked her, she grew blinded by rage and shot me with her arrow. That put me to sleep for fifty years.  When I woke up, I saw her again screaming in my face. But she was different. Her name was Kagome.

“A number of mishaps happened which resulted in Kagome shattering the jewel.  We spent the next three years together putting that damned thing back together, fighting Naraku all the way.  We picked up a lot of stragglers, people that the legend leaves out. Miroku, a cursed monk, Sango, a demon slayer that witnessed the murder of her entire family, Shippou, an orphaned fox demon.  We became a family, all of us a group of outcasts in feudal Japan. We fell in love, Kagome and I. But by the end of the quest, with a complete jewel, Kagome was pulled back to the world she came from, leaving me alone as the protector of the stinking jewel.  

“I was hysterical after she disappeared, right from in front of me too.  I didn’t know what to do. I was desperate. So I made a wish that night she disappeared.  I needed to live long enough to see her again, and the jewel granted it.”

Inuyasha gave a little sigh then turned to Keiko.  “That’s who Kagome was,” he said, as though it explained everything.

“But,” Keiko started, “I don’t understand…”

Inuyasha just laughed, sadly.  “You never do,” he said with a smile, “Never at first.”

He got up and began to head for the stairs.  Keiko watched him go, and then said, “You loved her very much?”

Inuyasha paused at the stair, not turning, just staring straight ahead.  Had she seen his face she would have watched a sad look of surrender and determination cross his normally cocky visage.

“Enough to spend eternity searching for her.”

Keiko didn’t understand.  There were a lot of guesses that Kagome had come from 500 years into the future.  Didn’t he find her after that length of time? Was the girl really from a different world, a different dimension?  What had the jewel granted him anyway? Immortality? An endless life separate from the one you love. The weight of sadness in his voice nudged her heart.  She got up and hugged the half-demon from behind.

“I hope you find her,” she offered, but shook her head, “I know you’ll find her.”

Keiko couldn’t see it but Inuyasha smiled, tenderly, as he looked down at her hands wrapped around his waist.  ‘I already have,’ he thought, ‘many times.’

They walked together up the stairs and prepared for bed after an exhausting day.  As Keiko passed by his door back from the washroom, she heard him whisper.

“Goodnight:  Kikyou, Kagome, Kristen, Kitlali, Kiara, Kelly, Katerina, Kara, Kayla, Kaitlin, Kosi, Kagiso, Khanna, Kim, and Keiko.”

...

“Inuyasha!  Get out here this instant!” Keiko cried to the locked door.  A muffled sound that resembled a ‘no’ came from the other side.  Keiko was panting in her frustration. She’d gone to all the trouble to plan a nice meal that was currently getting cold and a marathon of old horror flicks.  She’d been giddy with the prospect of enjoying her night off. Lord Sesshomaru always granted a few nights of break every month, and though it changed from month to month, one thing stayed constant:  Inuyasha was always nowhere to be found. 

Finally, Keiko had caught him off guard, forcing him to go shopping with her earlier that day, before he could take off.  She never liked the way he looked at the end of break. He always seemed sad, as if he’d spend the last three days stuck inside a horrible nightmare that wouldn’t end.  ‘But not this time,’ Keiko thought with determination, she was going to have a slumber party with the demon if it killed her!

Now it was evening, the sun just setting below the horizon.  Places at the table were set, several pints of ice cream waited patiently in the freezer and five horror DVDs sat temptingly on her DVD player.  The only thing missing was the stubborn hanyou. 

Inuyasha sat inside his room, dreading what was to come.  Each time he’d revealed this secret to her, he received a different reaction.  Once, she’d flipped out and fainted. Several people charged in after an accused him of assault.  That hadn’t turned out well. Another time she tried to kill him, screaming on the top of her lungs that she belonged to someone else, not realizing that the someone she was screaming about was him.  Only when he rejoined Kagome in the future had he not worried about his secret. 

He knew she was going to find out sooner or later, he just dreaded her reaction.  The half demon yelped, startled, when his face hurtled down to meet the pillow in his lap.  Cursing, he winced, his body beginning to feel the change settle into his bones. 

“Dammit woman!”  Keiko heard Inuyasha holler from inside, “You tryin’ to break my nose?”

Keiko rolled her eyes, knowing his demon blood wouldn’t allow that face to be injured too severely, “Come on Inuyasha!” she tried again, “Let’s do a movie night! Please?”

Inuyasha’s quickly changing ears drooped; he never could resist her when she begged.  In his mind he saw flashes of dewy eyes and puckered eyebrows. Funny, how all through the years, that puppy dog look was always the same.  Trying to think of one last excuse, he said lamely, “I’m… uh… naked?”

Keiko pounded on the door, “Nice try dog boy!  Now get your butt out here RIGHT NOW!”

Inuyasha sighed in defeat and approached the door, bracing himself and grateful that at least his now human ears wouldn’t hurt so much, “Oy, oy, fine, I’m coming…”

Inuyasha cringed as he slid opened the door, not sure what her reaction would be this time around.  

“Finally!  Gosh I thought I was going have to break down the-,” Keiko’s voice cut off as though snipped with scissors.

“Um…” she said in confusion, “Who are you?”

Inuyasha looked up directly into her eyes, “Who does it look like, woman?”

“A human Inuyasha,” Keiko said immediately before crossing her arms and tapping her feet, “Alright, explanation, now!”

Inuyasha relaxed a little, ‘she’s taking this better than I thought.’

Clearing his human vocal cords, he started, “Ok, so, you should know this, all half-demons have a night each month where they lose their demon blood and become fully human.”

Keiko snorted, “Of course I knew that, but how was I to know that rule still applied to you?”

“I’m half demon!” Inuyasha said, “Duh!”

Keiko shot back, “Well, with all the hullaballoo about the Shikon no Tama and living for over 1500 years, how was I to know?”

“Keh,” Inuyasha muttered, about to brush past her when he notice and increase of salt in her scent.  ‘oooh crap…,’ he thought.

“Why didn’t you trust me with your secret?” Keiko whispered.  She thought the two of them had gotten to know each other well enough over the last six months.  She knew she trusted him with her life and troubles. Why didn’t he feel comfortable sharing this little secret with her?  Hadn’t she been as nice and understanding of him as he was to her?

Inuyasha almost let out a groan, “It’s not like that, Keiko.”

“Then what is it?” Keiko spat, “Tell me, why have you been keeping this a secret for the past SIX months?”

Inuyasha gauged her reaction, she was genuinely hurt about this, though he’d waited longer for so many others.  He sighed before answering, “I almost got myself killed once, revealing this.”

When he saw Keiko open her mouth he quickly cut in, “Not because I didn’t trust the girl, but when she found out, she yelped and fainted dead away, when other people found her, they thought I’d attacked her.  Another time I was rejected so badly I ran away and never came back!” Inuyasha thought bitterly of the one girl in all that time that had refused him. It was before he’d found Kagome again. He’d scented a smell so like hers he couldn’t help but follow it.  Maybe she’d been reincarnated again? He wondered all sorts of possibilities until he’d found her: Kristen, a little western version of Kikyou, silent, reserved but glowing with warmth. However, just like Kikyou, though she did love him her own way, she couldn’t accept him like Kagome did.  Her soul wasn’t ready, he realized after all the pain and hurt finally washed away. He would keep looking, waiting, until her soul was ready to accept him, like Kagome, and he would wait for her until she did.

“So you’re saying you don’t trust me to see you the same way afterwards?” Keiko asked, a tear threateningly close to spilling over her porcelain cheeks.  

“No!” Inuyasha said, exasperated, “What I’m saying is that I’ve always had a bad experience whenever anyone finds out about it ok?  It’s just a habitual reaction, hiding it like this! So deal!”

Keiko was silent for a few moments, seemingly digesting this information.  Finally, her head popped upright again, as she reached a verdict. The miko grabbed Inuyasha’s hand before pulled him down the stairs, “Ok,” was all she said.

...

_ She was running.  She ran through a forest she’d never seen before, yet somehow she knew she’d been there a million times.  Her hand fisted at her neck as she tore through the underbrush, skin scraping against thorns and toughened bark.  She had to protect it at all cost. He was close behind her, and getting closer, but she knew that if she could just reach the tree in time, everything would be all right.  His breath was almost at her back, she could smell the miasma rolling off of him in waves. Just a little further, just a little further! _

_ The dog hanyou told her once, something important.  A young man, a hanyou in robes of fire engine red. He’d take her up into the trees and told her.  A promise, a very important promise. Not of protection, not of service, nothing like that. A very important promise, that of eternity. _

_ She finally broke into a clearing surrounding a giant tree.  Its branches stretched wide as it sheltered those beneath it.  Almost there! She thought as she raced around the trunk, he’s right there; I only have to free him.  A chilling laugh from behind her worked through her ears and echoed in her mind. A long inky black tentacle reached out from behind her towards the tree.  She watched in shocked, disbelieving horror as it shot straight through the trunk, splinters flying and dark red liquid gushing from the tree. _

_ She heard screaming.  Long echoing screams, screams that tore from her throat in a teeth-shattering rasp, “INUYASHAAAAAAA!” _

...

Keiko sat up in a cold sweat.  Seconds later Inuyasha burst through the door, “WHAT IS IT?!”

Panting, Keiko clutched her heart as it continued to pump painfully in her ribcage.  Inuyasha sighed and walked across the room to her bed.

“Nightmare?” he asked, soothing her back with a warm, gentle hand.  Keiko nodded, tears quickly drying in her eyes. She grabbed a water bottle from her night stand and took a few long swigs.  Snatching a towel too, she wiped off the sweat and sighed into the half-demon’s arms. He could still hear how quickly her heart was beating.  Holding her close, he kissed her temple gently, whispering soft words into her ear. Keiko looked at Inuyasha surprised. He was never this gentle, ever.  Yes, they’d grown to be close friends in the course of the past eight months but he hardly ever touched her, let alone kissed.

“There was a man in a baboon pelt,” Keiko began, not noticing Inuyasha’s look of surprise, “No, a hanyou.  He wanted something from me, something that could grant wishes.”

Inuyasha hugged her closer, his eyes wide, glancing around the room as his mind buzzed.  Keiko trembled slightly but quieted in his arms.

“I knew, somehow, that if I reached the God’s Tree, and freed someone there, I would be safe.”

Inuyasha was beginning to lose focus.  ‘She’s remembering Kagome’s life?’ he thought in wonder.  None of the others did, Inuyasha tried hard to remember, though he was sure no one else had.  

“Inuyasha?” Keiko asked, snapping Inuyasha’s mind back to the present, “Do you know many dog hanyous?”

Inuyasha thought a little then answered, “No, why.”

Keiko shrugged, “I was wondering if you knew one that dressed in red all the time and liked to sleep in trees.”

Inuyasha sat shell shocked for a breath before forcing himself to answer, “Hanyou you know?”  His voice cracked as he rasped out the question.

Keiko didn’t seem to notice the halting harshness of his sentence.  She replied lazily, her eyes beginning to flutter closed again, “Someone I met in my dream tonight.  He made me a promise.”

Inuyasha gazed at her sleeping face, remembering that promise from so long ago.  He leaned down to kiss her forehead, “I’ll never stop searching for you, I’ll never stop loving you.  I’ll always be with you, forever.”

...

_ Towards the end, he hardly left her side.  The weaker she got, the closer he was. He could feel her life slipping away.  She wasn’t in pain, she wasn’t unhappy, but she was dying. He’d stopped taking food for the last week, ignored anything that pulled him away from her.  He told her that he would be the last thing she saw before returning to the world of death. And when she returned to him, she would again see him first thing in the morning and last at night, along with the love only his everlasting heart can provide. That was his promise.  As Kagome closed her tired wrinkled eyes for the last time, her last whispered words rang in his ears, and would stay there for many centuries later. _

_ “Love you forever, my Inuyasha.” _

...

“Laser Tag!” Keiko squealed as she read the slip of paper in her hands.  Mer, Cor, Aiya and Inuyasha sat around in a circle, sipping various drinks.

“Cool!” Coral said, “I haven’t played that in so long!”  ‘I haven’t played that in ten decades,’ Inuyasha thought.

“Alright,” Mer piped in, “Swipe Arena, per usual I assume?”

Aiya nodded cheerfully, “Hey!  Let’s get a big group together and play teams!”

Keiko agreed, “We can get Kentaro, Kisa, Yukito, Hanna…”

“Don’t forget Ho-joon!” Cor said slyly, watching Keiko’s nose wrinkle in disgust.  She was surprised, however, when she saw the half-demon’s face darken. ‘Hmm…’

“Inuyasha?” Keiko asked, jerking his attention back to her, “Do you know anyone you want to invite?”

Inuyasha thought about this, it was about time the runt was reunited with her, he thought, “Yeah, he’s demon though, if you don’t mind.”

Unanimous voices rose from the table as the friends eagerly made their calls before heading over to the arena.

Keiko gave Inuyasha an extra squeeze before she hopped off his bike.  Inuyasha stayed on for a second, trying to ignore his body’s response to her embrace.  His blood demanded more, ‘she’s right there, you’re mate and you’ve yet to claim her?! You idiot!’

Inuyasha sighed, ‘you’d think I’ve learned how to control that stupid demon in me by now…’

The building before them was colossal.  Giant red letters proudly boasting to be the best laser tag arena in the domed city.  No sooner had they taken two steps through the doors when a cheerful voice cried, “Keiko?”

The troupe turned to see a young sandy haired demon approach them.  He had piercing green eyes and Merlin narrowed his, trying to place the odd sensation of familiarity he felt.  The newcomer bounded up to the group, his blue-flamed swim trunks dancing as he approached. 

“Keiko?  Am I right?” the young man said, “Wow!  You’re even prettier than- I mean you’re very pretty.”

Keiko didn’t seem to notice his little slip of the tongue and simply smiled her thanks, but Inuyasha fixed the green-eyed man with a pointed glare.  Turning to the rest of the group, he said, “Everyone, this is Shippou. Shippou, this is Keiko, Merlin, Coral, and Aiya.” 

After introductions, Shippou turned discreetly to Inuyasha, quietly saying, “Sorry about the slip, but it’s true, she gets prettier every time!”  Inuyasha turned to Shippou, “Just like her soul?” and Shippou only smiled in response. 

As greetings fluttered around, Kentaro, his sister Kisa, a young quiet boy named Yukito ad his girlfiend Hanna joined the group.  Shippou later introduced his wife (mate), Chère. The group were excitedly chattering and laughing about the upcoming game, bickering who would be on whose team and so on.  

“Keiko!” an unwelcome voice cried from behind them.  Keiko’s eyes went wide before glaring accusingly at Coral.  Coral in the meanwhile was shaking her head, her own eyes confused.

Finally turning, Keiko greeted the next newcomer, “Ho-joon!  Fancy seeing you here…”

As Keiko turned to make forced conversation with Ho-joon, Aiya watched Inuyasha’s face twitch in thinly veiled jealousy.  Kentaro noticed her gaze and whispered, “I told you about my great grandfather right?”

Aiya turned to him perplexed, but nodded, “The one that supposedly took part in the myth about the Shikon no Tama?”

Kentaro nodded, “It’s no myth, that hanyou’s the dog that beat Naraku!  The story goes that after defeating him, the miko from another world vanished.  Kouga says Inuyasha made a wish on the jewel that made him immortal, and now he’s spending eternity, finding and rejoining with the reincarnated soul of his lost love.”

Aiya, wide eyed and mouth agape, stared at her crush, thinking he’d lost his mind.  Then she noticed Inuyasha’s stance next to her friend, his stature broadcasting to those with canine blood that this was his claim.  She could smell his age, something that couldn’t lie; he was OLD, despite being a half-blood. Finally, she sighed in awe, about to speak her amazement when Keiko’s loud voice broke through all the side conversations, “Hey!  Looks like everyone’s here! Let’s go play!”

Inuyasha barely had time to register what was happened before being led away quickly by the young raven haired girl.  Shippou, glancing at the abandoned Ho-joon, smirked before placing himself at Keiko’s other side before heading towards the information desk.  Inuyasha stepped up in front of them all and asked for arena seven. Coral and Merlin’s eyes widened, that was the biggest and most expensive one!  They were about to object when the cashier said, “I see, if you will please wait while I validate this pass.”

Inuyasha smirked as Aiya approached him, having caught sight of the pass he’d offered.  “Where the hell did you get that VIP-Privileges pass?”

Inuyasha shrugged carelessly, “My big bro?”

Keiko glanced back and forth between Shippou’s sly grin and Inuyasha’s careless demeanor.  Deciding not to ask, especially with Ho-joon creeping up behind her, she quickly snuck in front of Inuyasha, startling him, before turning to Shippou and trying to get into a deep conversation.

“So, how do you know Inuyasha?” Keiko asked, nervously glancing behind her, relieved to find that Aiya had intercepted the boy for her.

Shippou grinned widely before whispering in her ear, “Inuyasha’s my adoptive father.”

Inuyasha heard this and leaned over to mention, “Didn’t I tell you about Miroku, Sango and Shippou?”

Keiko’s eyes, widened.  “You’re THAT Shippou?” she asked, incredulous, “Wait, how old were you at that time?”

Shippou, unsure how much Inuyasha had already told her but fully comprehending what she meant, replied, “I was about the equivalent of a human five year old.”

“Wow, and this oaf raised you?” Keiko asked, incredulous, “It must have been horrific!”

“Hey!” Inuyasha sniffed as Shippou chortled into his hand.  God how he missed his adoptive mother. By the time he met up with Kagome again, he was full grown and mated.  Kristin hadn’t accepted him at all; her soul was still too much like Kikyou’s, not having developed enough to bear the burden of the Shikon no Tama in her flesh.  And Shippou hadn’t traveled to America with Inuyasha when he met Kitlali. Now here was a woman that could’ve borne the jewel without a problem, only she wasn’t in Japan.  The young Native American, though hesitant to accept the hanyou’s attentions, had taken his lack of humanity in stride. Perhaps it was her culture that taught her to accept all that nature creates, but either way, having only her, privately in a land as empty of western culture as the heavens, Inuyasha had healed from the grief of Kristin’s rejection.

Shippou had been furious to find out that Inuyasha had found her and not sent for him.  Though in retrospect it was impossible for Inuyasha to get word to him. Modern communication was not yet in place and Kitlali’s people only knew the lands they lived on, unaware that there was a greater expanse of earth out there.  Shippou shook his head, clearing away the memories.

“You’re account has been confirmed, please take these mission sticks to the fourth level.  You’re mission commander is waiting.” With that, the party of friends headed for the elevators.  On their way up, Keiko, Coral and Aiya were busy planning their strategy. They’d finally determined it would be girl’s against guys.  Being short one guy, Ho-joon volunteered to pick up the slack, much to Keiko’s chagrin.

“Ooh look!” Cor exclaimed, “There’re mini elevators and underground tunnels too!”

“And a maze!” Keiko said, “Wow, I’m so going to get lost.”

Inuyasha watched Keiko in silence, something tickling at the edges of his conscious.  He couldn’t explain why but he felt excited, enthralled at the prospect of going into the dark caverns on this arena with her.  It was like a hunt. They would be in the dark, together, ensured of their solitude by the blackness around them. 

Keiko hurriedly put on the vest and eye screen visor.  The girls all shared their codenames and programmed them into each other’s visors.  It was to help them communicate during the rounds. Keiko chose her weapons out of familiarity.  Two small handguns that fit snugly into their holsters on either side of her thighs. She’d worn tight short shorts with matching long black stockings to hide her pale skin.  A dark navy blue tank top and just for kicks, she’d worn leather gloves with holes for each finger save the thumbs. Wavy hair tamed by a tight ponytail, Keiko was ready for action.

Ho-joon stood awkwardly on the other side of the armory, tentatively hefting a small handgun.  Inuyasha smirked next to him, cradling a much larger weapon. Shippou joined him saying, “My, my, that’s a big gun you got there.”

“All the better to shoot you with my dear,” Mer said as he breezed by, sniper gear in his hands.  Shippou laughed.

“Well, if that’s your plan you’re going to need someone to watch your back,” the fox demon said.

“You better watch it good,” the young man said, giving his new friend a smack.

Coral rolled her eyes before stepping in, “Yeah, or its mine!”

Mer gave her a perverted smile while Shippou tilted his head as the familiar face registered in his mind.  Chère came up to him, traditional shotgun in her talons, “You ready for dis?”

Shippou didn’t try to hide his own lopsided grin as he answered her, “Whenever you are my lil’ vixen.”

They waited impatiently as their mission commander hollered the rules and regulations of the game before finally sending them loose.  Keiko took off running, a map of the area glowing in the corner of her visor screen. Inuyasha took off in pursuit, all his senses locked on his prey.  Stealthily, he pulled out his wildcard: a small charm to hide his demonic aura. In the dark, he was sure she couldn’t see what he was.

The visor on her head would tell her that he was approaching, but not who.  He herded her towards the maze, mirrors and dark walls confusing her as she wandered through it.  A little noise to the left, a crunch to the right, Inuyasha smiled, his inner demon coming to life.  Suddenly he was behind her, arms locking hers in place. Keiko gasped, whispering, “Who is it?”

Inuyasha just pressed his lips against her neck and smiled.  He felt her shiver in response, eliciting a low grumble in the back of his throat.  He held her there for a long moment, allowing her orientate herself, to get used to this feeling.

“You’d better not be Ho-joon or I’m tearing you limb from limb!” Keiko growled softly into the darkness.  Inuyasha only laughed, losing himself to the pleasure of her trembling body. 

‘Ok,’ Keiko thought, ‘not Ho-joon, too bold.’  She knew there were also other people sharing this arena with her friends.  But she doubted this was someone she didn’t know. He felt vaguely familiar, though her mind denied who she thought it was.  ‘He wouldn’t…’

She felt his lips move, softly against her skin.  They stopped at the crook of her neck and liquid fire soon met her senses as his tongue flicked out to taste her.  The iron arms holding her in place wound even tighter around her as her knees went weak. She’d never felt this way before, and while her mind was screaming to get away, that she didn’t want a faceless stranger to be her first kiss or worse, something in her heart told her it was alright.  Somehow she knew, somehow, that this shadow wasn’t going to take advantage of her. This hungry shadow would protect her. And with that intuitive knowledge, she let go of the conscious world and slipped into his arms completely.

“Ghost Girl?” she heard vaguely through her hazy mind, “Keiko?  Where are you?”

Inuyasha growled into her neck, and Keiko surrendered another shiver.  He reached up and took off her visor, removing any interference from outside.  He lapped at her mark one more time, feeling heat pool into the stretch of skin scarred by his own mark.  The demon’s eyes almost rolled back in his head. How long had it been since he’d held her in his arms during her prime?  Almost a century of waiting till her body grew and ripened again. He’d loved her through her youth, he’d loved her through her age, but only in her prime had he ever allowed himself the pleasure of her body.  He knew human bones became too brittle, the cruelty of time’s wear building on them. He knew human minds were too tender, the innocence that, when taken too soon, scars the soul. So he only had a few short decades to enjoy her while he could, before bearing the terrible weight of time again.  And how he relished it.

It pleased him that she did not pull away, knowing that their bond unconsciously told her to accept his touch.  Inuyasha dipped his lips lower, craning to lay kisses across her neck and collarbone. He very nearly purred as her scent spiked, her heart quickened.  Letting his tongue loose he tasted a nectar he’d been far too long denied. For the first time in fifty years, his heart and soul was whole again. When her hand reached up to touch his, he shivered at her voluntary contact.  Squirming, Keiko tried to turn towards her captor. She ran on instinct now, a low primal purr rising through her chest cavity. Her hands were not her own as she traced lines up familiar arms, biceps, and shoulders, strong as steel yet soft as clouds.  Finally, her binds loosened enough for her to turn around. Her palms pressed against a hard flat chest as she made her first experimental pecks at his neck, relearning a well memorized skill. She rubbed her nose under his chin, knowing he’d like it. She opened her mouth and nipped his pulse, knowing it would drive him crazy.  She pressed her body up against his, knowing he needed her. Keiko smiled, mind drugged and unaware, she knew he was hers like she was his.

The shadow man before her grunted as tremors trickled up and down his body.  It sent lightning sparks of shivers through hers. Suddenly, she was pressed against the wall, mind barely keeping up with the position change.  His hands roved her body, finding all the right places as though practiced. She was crushed into the wall, the hard planes of his body smothering her as he suckled against her neck.  Idly running circles across his back a solitary thought danced through her mind, ‘Caught between a wall and a … very, very hard place…’

Keiko pulled his body close, needing more, wanting to just engulf him into herself.  And then, like magic, his lips met hers. Time fumbled and promptly whip-lashed to a screeching halt.  Keiko’s breath hitched and for one long eternal moment, neither moved, hearts stopped and trains of thought derailed.  Then, like the tide ebbing, feeling returned to fingertips, muscles remembered to move, hearts began beating and lips started to explore.  Lips. Rougher than tree bark, lighter than butterfly wings, sweeter than music and oh so much more, they didn’t just kiss, they danced.

His moved against hers with almost practiced ease; hers learned quickly and fought back.  Unaware of her quickened heartbeat, hardly noticing her moans, numbed to the outside world, Keiko nearly passed out when she felt that tongue, hot and languid, burn against her lips.  It teased her, her mouth already opening an invitation but it continued its teasing, skipping lightly along the edge of her rosy lips before gently pulling away, giving her time to breath.

Keiko panted hard against him, wondering how long her body had been demanding oxygen, not caring that she was ready to suffocate in the midst of those lips.  Her heart thrummed in his ears and his pulse beat back against her chest. She panted a few more seconds, her breath hardly back when her dusty mind slowly produced a name she new he wanted to hear.

“Inuyasha…”

Then, as quickly as it came, his body was gone, to the shadows he returned.  She couldn’t even hear his fleeing footsteps, her blood still pumping loudly in her ears.  It took her a moment to realize he’d gone, then the next second she wondered if he was even there to begin.  Keiko sank to the ground, eyes dilated, head swimming, body tingling. She lifted a trembling hand to her lips, still feeling the burning heat of her first kiss.  Keiko closed her eyes, tilted her head up against the wall and sighed.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the maze of darkness, another body struggled to regain its composure.  Inuyasha inhaled and exhaled deeply so quickly he was sure he would hyperventilate. A soft sounds nearby told him he was not alone.  Nose still clogged with her smell, he could barely make out the scent of his adopted son approaching him.

“So…” Shippou started, “I take it you enjoyed yourself.”

Inuyasha looked up at the dark figure with glassy eyes, a slow cocky grin growing on his face.  “Yeah I did,” he responded softly, “Yeah I did.”

She’d called out his name.  That’s what broke the spell.  He could have gone on forever had she not uttered a sound.  But she didn’t say just anything, she’d called his name. That alone sent his heart a flutter and his soul soured.  She knew it was him, somehow she knew, her soul knew, and that was enough to push him to the verge of tears.

“ATTENTION TAGGERS!  This round is now over!” a shocking piercing voice called over the loudspeaker, “Please follow the flashing arrows towards the exit, if you need help push the red button on your vest.  I repeat…”

Inuyasha, calm again, caught a glimpse of Keiko as she walked out, her friends worriedly hovering around her.  He smirked at her dazed face and flushed cheeks, ‘damn that was fun…’

… 

“Kagome’s is a wanted soul.  It will grant any wish of that which devours it.”  Inuyasha growled, Sesshoumaru’s words resounding in his mind.  ‘The fuck did he mean by that?’ Inuyasha thought bewildered. In the past year he’d lived with Keiko, each demon they’ve encountered had come drooling for her soul.  ‘What the fuck?’ Inuyasha wondered. 

He was jerked from his ponderings as Keiko, long legs dancing, ran up to him.  “Come on come on!” she whined, “We’re going to be late!”

Inuyasha groaned.  Keiko had planned a little date for the two of them, claiming that they deserved a break.  It was the night after a particularly tough demon, again raging for her soul. They managed to slay the damn thing but it was a tough one, Keiko’s tightly bandaged thigh a sign of that.   They’d made reservations at a nice little restaurant in the city. Since most of the time, Inuyasha took off doing the shopping (he’d do anything to get out to greeting the shrine worshippers), Keiko’s steadily growing bank account was quite full.  She smiled as she put on her Checklet: “Account confirmed. Keiko Honda, you have thirty hundred fifty nine point four three UOCs.”

Keiko giddily ran out to her Boba.  Her mother had dropped it off earlier that day and it sat waiting on the side of the street.  Dressed in a knee length black gown, Keiko firmly said no to Inuyasha’s bike, opting for a less embarrassing ride to the fancy dining establishment.  Inuyasha grumbled, annoyed with his attire and the freshly fastened concealment charm Keiko had made him. He hated concealing himself, usually opting for dark shades, tight lips, gloves and a hat to cover his demonic features.  The stupid thing  _ itched _ !  And there was nothing he could do about it.  

Keiko cheerily placed a hand on Boba, waiting for it to confirm her identity before allowing her to enter.  Once inside, she scooted over to allow Inuyasha to join her before entering the address. Inuyasha’s eyebrow twitched as the anti-gravity nano-machines lifted him into the air, the bubble surrounding them hovering slightly above the ground.  ‘Stupid fucking fancy pansy lazy ass humans and their fucking fake stuff and…’ Inuyasha thought darkly. He deeply missed the old days when human didn’t live in giant tanks built into the earth, when the natural air wasn’t so polluted that all living beings were forced to hide in air-tight communities, where everything natural was replaced by holographic illusions.  ‘You’re too old,’ Inuyasha thought to himself, before glancing at the girl hovering next to him, the edge of her skirt lifting up to display creamy smooth skin that glowed in the odd mystical glitter of the nanobots. ‘You’re my only reason for living,’ he thought gently.

They rode to the restaurant in content silence, each in his or her own thoughts of the previous year.  This date celebrated their anniversary living together. It had been a long interesting year, full of adventures and surprises.  Little did Keiko know, Inuyasha had one last surprise for her before they marked the end of a full year together. 

Since their encounter in the laser tag arena, Inuyasha had deduced that Keiko wasn’t fully aware of who she had been kissing, more like in complete denial.  He noticed she was a little more jumpy around him, but she’d also told him of her encounter, insisting that she had no idea who it was. And he could smell the scent of lies.  Keiko did, however, seem to crave alone time with him after all the chores and midnight assignments. Inuyasha’s heart was dancing on clouds, ‘soon! Oh so very soon!’

The dinner was nice, very little of anything interesting happened.  She ordered pasta, he ordered steak. She wanted wine, he craved something harder.  Towards the end he got a little jittery, ‘is it really ok to spill now? Maybe I should give it more time… but hell, she was so welcoming in the arena, she’s got to be ready!’  Finally, they were ready to leave.

They reached the shrine, Inuyasha bounded up the long flight of stairs, idly commending Sesshy for the restoration of the shrine.  Keiko stopped Inuyasha before reaching the final step. She sat down near the top and patted the ground next to her, her eyes liquid silver and glowing in the moonlight.

“I wonder what the real stars look like,” she began, sighing and leaning on his shoulder, “They must have been beautiful.”

Inuyasha smiled at her wistful voice.  All her incarnates loved the stars, they loved them as though the stars could lift them up and make all her dreams come true.  Keeping his voice soft, deep within his throat, he spoke softly, “They are.”

Keiko shifted a little, remembering he’d been living long enough to see the pure unadulterated sky of ancient Japan.  “Do you ever regret,” Keiko started, “Making that wish?”

Inuyasha turned slightly to watch her face, “Why do you ask?”

Keiko fidgeted with her fingers.  Not long after he’d come to stay with her, she knew she felt an attraction for the hanyou.  After he’d told her his story, she felt depressed, knowing she couldn’t stand a chance against Kagome, a woman he’d suffered for, bled for, and then shouldered the heavy weight of eternity for.  Though Keiko had often wished, to this same artificially lit sky, that perhaps she could alleviate his hurt and trials. It hurt, to know that he would never feel for her the way she was beginning to feel, quite strongly, for him.  It hurt, to know that he forced himself through the pain of centuries, a fruitless effort that could not bring him to his lost love. It hurt, to know that he was sitting there, right next to her, but his heart was elsewhere.

“You’ve been searching for so long,” Keiko said, struggling to find the words to say, “It must be so hard, trying to keep looking for her, all those years…”

“It is really hard,” Keiko jerked at the sound of his strong voice.  She turned to see him staring at the sky, arms crossed and legs akimbo.  He looked so serene, like he’d surrendered to a fate he didn’t like. Keiko’s heart thumped painfully in her chest, ‘I’ve got no chance, huh?’

“I’ve wanted to give up several times,” Inuyasha said after a small silence, recapturing her attention, “I’ve wanted to take the tetsaiga and slit my own throat, or maybe take poison, something sweet and painless.  But each time I’d see her face, that silly smile and remember why I keep living.”

Keiko’s eyes began to burn.  ‘No!’ she thought to herself, ‘I’m not losing my heart!  I’m not! It’s just a crush, a passing, fleeting crush!’ Yet, something inside wickedly laughed, ‘It’s not a crush, and you know it.’

Inuyasha glanced at Keiko before continuing.  “I did find her,” he said, ignoring Keiko’s startled wet gasp, “I found her, 200 years after making my wish.”

Keiko’s voice cracked, “B-but… wasn’t she supposed to be from… 500 years in the future?”

Inuyasha smiled a pained smile, “She was reincarnated as a young English woman.”  

Keiko’s mind struggled to comprehend what he was telling her, no longer able to think about self-pity.

“Or rather, Kikyou was reincarnated as a young English woman.  But she smelled more like Kagome,” Inuyasha’s teeth clenched, “But her soul wasn’t ready to accept a hanyou yet.  After finding out my heritage, she rejected me.”

Keiko was at a loss for what to do.  Watching silent tears well in his eyes but never fall, she felt her own heart break.  Tentatively, as if afraid to break the spell of the night, Keiko gently wrapped her arms around the hanyou she loved.

“I almost killed myself right then, but I looked at her face and I didn’t see Kagome.  It was Kikyou, and I knew my wait was still going. I fled Japan, I couldn’t handle all the familiar places we’d traveled to.  I ran away to the new world, and 200 years after little English Kristin, I met Kitlali. She saved me.”

Keiko’s soft voice spoke up after a pause in the story, “From what?”

Inuyasha shifted, his body relaxing under her touch, “Myself.”

The demon sighed, “When I met her, I was still ready to kill myself.  Her face, her voice, everything haunted me. But, Kristin, her soul, it still rejected me, and I began to hear voices in my head, whispering suggestions like perhaps Kagome had sealed the well, known she would return to her time, and wanted nothing more to do with me.  My heart knew it wasn’t true, but the weight of it on my mind wouldn’t lessen. Kitlali saved me. When I met her, I was too afraid her soul would reject me as well, but this time she had grown more, accepted more, and when I told her my story, then told her that I believed she housed the soul of my beloved, she smiled at me.  That same smile that pulled me through so many battles in the past.

“I stayed with her and her tribe.  I eventually learned to love her, without feeling disloyal to Kagome.  But, Kitlali, she understood. Perhaps it was the stories she was taught as a child, or her grandfather’s teachings as Medicine Man, but she understood.  I could love her, and she could love me, but we lived a chaste life. Because she wasn’t Kagome yet. She was a soul that was slowly shaping itself into Kagome.

“I watched her grow old, and I watched her die.  I stayed with her the whole time, her family generously allowing me to stay with them.  And then… and then I found Kagome.”

Keiko’s breath hitched in her throat.  A tear trickled down her cheek as she waited for the timeless hanyou to continue.  “I found her, a few days after she was pulled through the well, sobbing, hysterical, half starved, just like I was after she disappeared.  And I fell in love with her all over again. It took her a while, but she grew stronger and brighter. I mated her, and with that, we forever bound our souls together.  I made her a promise, that no matter what, I would find her, in the future, wherever she dared to be reincarnated. I would find her, fall in love with her, and live her life, by her side.

“I found Kiara in Italy, helped her conquer the world of opera.  I dated, loved, and married Kelly in Maryland. Katerina and I braved World War III together.  Kara picked apart my brain as a shrink while pushing me into medicine myself. Kayla was a gangster in California, probably the toughest cookie in the box, and for once, it was my turn to heal that beautiful soul.  Kaitlin introduced me to the world of ballroom dance. Kosi and I raised children in Africa. Kagiso caught me before I left that tattered continent and we worked on AIDS prevention for most of her life. Khanna worked at a hanyou orphanage, tending all the little kid’s and their birth defects, nature wasn’t very kind to the mixed bloods.  Kimberly, she sang like it could heal the world, and after the horrors in Africa, her innocent voice brought me back into a world that still held hope for the future. I loved all of them.”

Keiko sat stone still, not knowing what to do or think.  So he HAD found her, many times! Keiko slowly blinked her way back into reality, only to be startled the rest of the way when she noticed how intently Inuyasha’s gaze fell on her.

“That was over fifty years ago,” he said, “When she died, she promised she’d find me again, and she’d try to stay with me longer.  Cancer took her away from me.”

Keiko swallowed hard past the lump in her throat.  Inuyasha stood suddenly, pulling her to her feet and leading her back into the house.  He brought her up the stairs and into her room. Shutting the door, he approached her in the silent darkness.  She began to shiver.

“Then, a few years ago, I met someone.  A little high school girl with my mate mark on her neck.”

Keiko squeaked and touched the birthmark she’d often tried to hide.  Realization not quite dawning on her, Inuyasha continued.

“She was a tough little girl, but bright and warm and soft too.  I bumped into her once, but it was too soon to really meet her. A year later, my brother called me and told me his newest miko needed protection, so he sent me to live with her.  Imagine my surprise when I found the same little girl I bumped into at the mall.”

He was drawing closer to her now.  His eyes drilled holes into her, prying down, to somewhere deep inside.  Keiko nearly collapsed when he wrapped his arms around her, turning her around and pulling her back into his stomach.  Why did this embrace feel so familiar?

“She wasn’t ready, not yet, to hear my full story.  She didn’t understand, but most of all, she didn’t care for me, not yet, not the way I needed her to.  So I waited, I protected her, and let her drag me around, as long as I was close to her, I knew I could wait forever until she was ready.  Everyday, the same feeling as all those other times, sometimes I think it’s a blessing to be able to fall in love over and over again, knowing it was the real thing.”

Keiko suddenly tensed.  Finding her voice, she put words to her latest realization as she turned in his arms, “It was you!  Back at laser tag! You were the guy from the shadows…”

Inuyasha just leaned in closer, close enough for her to feel his hot breath against her birthmark, her mate mark,  _ his _ mate mark.

“Always.  Always, always, always and forever,” Keiko’s knees gave out and her breath came in erratic pants, “I love you, Keiko Honda.”

 


	3. Extra:  Here Without You

**Here without You… again**

By Kitty

* * *

 

A lonely white haired figure stood hunched beside a freshly dug grave.  Fifteen years. Fifteen brief, fleeting, painfully short, aching years. How can Fate be so cruel?  To force him back into loneliness so quickly after finding her again? The cancer ate her up, her body succumbing slowly, painfully.  He was her angel, she’d said, “My beautiful everlasting Inuyasha. Always and forever, my Inuyasha.”

The eternal inu-hanyou flinched as the pain in his heart clamped in his chest cavity.  He felt the world blur, the darkness surround him again. His vision tunneled, blotted with unshed tears, staring straight at the tombstone. 

_ ‘Kimberly Harrison _

_ Beloved Daughter, Cherished Wife _

_ 2919 – 2950 _

_ “Till next we meet…”’ _

When will be the next time they meet?  Inuyasha thought sadly, it would be another fifty years, at least.  Blinking back tears, ignoring the jagged edged blade in his heart, he positioned his guitar before her.  Images of her many faces flew through his mind: Khanna, her sweet tempered innocence just waking in the early morning sunshine; Kaitlin’s lithe body dancing in the soft moonlight kicking up dew drops from the silver-lined grass, Kitlali’s strong warm eyes through the smoky darkness of her teepee.  Finally, the girl who’d started it all, Kagome, dark crystal grey eyes laughing into his, ‘Always and Forever, My Inuyasha…”

Inuyasha tipped his head back to keep in his tears, the knife in his heart twisting painfully as he thought of the years he’ll have to wait before finding her once more.  Fingers moving automatically, his voice, rough from howling into the night, rose up in song,

_ “A thousand years have made me older _

_ Since the last time that I've saw your pretty face” _

He remembered her grey eyes flash in anger.  “My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me!”

_ “All those lives have made me colder  _

_ And I don’t think I can look at this the same” _

He saw Kristin’s terrified blue eyes round with horror, his blood pounding in his ears while she fainted dead away.  He remembered her eyes, and how piercingly hot his own blood felt as he tore his own flesh, anything to alleviate the pain of her rejection.

_ “But all the things had separate _

_ They disappear now when I’m dreaming of your face” _

Kiara’s face floated through his mind, eyes closed in concentration, her soul pouring out into the audience below.  He watched her from the balcony, golden eyes shining with pride and love. Last note hanging on her lips, she turned in the middle of her aria and opened her eyes, staring directly at him, “Per sempre tua*.”

The young man inhaled sharply before continuing, not caring what onlookers stopped to stare in awe of the ‘poor boy’ before his lover’s grave.

_ “I’m here without you baby _

_ But you’re still on my lonely mind _

_ I think about you baby _

_ And I dream about you all the time” _

In his mind he relived World War III.  He remembered dragging a nearly unconscious Katerina to the ports, forcing Sango’s old gas mask over her face.  He smelled her tears pouring from her eyes as his eyes rolled back into his head, barely falling into the departure capsule in time to flee to Sesshoumaru’s palace.

_ “I’m here without you baby _

_ But you’re still with me in my dreams _

_ And tonight it’s only you and me” _

He remembered the beautiful African sunsets where he and Kosi would relish in a few shared moments of peace.  Inuyasha saw the wildebeests on the Sahara, felt the heat of the sun, the gusts of sandy breezes and heard her heart beating close to his.  When they coupled together under the desert sun, his howls roamed the dunes like a lion’s roar fills the hot exotic moonlight. 

_ “The years just keep rollin’ _

_ As the people fade away to say hello” _

There was also Kikyou’s haunting face, surfacing slowly from the depths of his memories.  Bittersweet moments and fleeting touches. In his fragments of memory, he thought he could feel it, the pull of her soul trying to reach him, trying to tell him that the future will be alright.

_ “I've heard this life is overrated _

_ But I know that it gets better as we go _

Whenever they were together, shocks of pure undulated electricity sparked between them.  Her angry face, full of spitfire and life bore holes through him. That life on the streets of California had sculpted her into a hard prickly ball of hellfire, not letting anyone close.  Yet her eyes betrayed loneliness and he knew only he could soothe that. He enveloped her, nurtured the love in her soul that he knew still existed. Despite a lifetime of abuse, her sunny heart still spilled through to meet him, welcome him.  Kayla was the first and only to show weakness, to display a life that needed rather than supported. And Inuyasha came to her like a beacon through a storm.

_ “I’m here without you baby _

_ But you’re still on my lonely mind _

_ I think about you baby _

_ And I dream about you all the time” _

Kara’s face rippled upward through the muddle of his mind.  Her glasses did nothing to soften the sharpness of her eyes as she stared at him.  For the first time, he was uncomfortable under her gaze – for the first time, he didn’t feel any love from her eyes.  Just cold plain curiosity, the attitude of a scientist preying down upon her lab rat. Kara took the longest. She was too straight minded, her eyes refused to stray beyond her career.  Inuyasha’s brows puckered as his sad face gave a half cracked smile, remembering their first night together. Oh the horror, he prayed he’d never have to deal with another psychiatrist ever again.  

_ I’m here without you baby _

_ But you’re still with me in my dreams _

_ And tonight girl it’s only you and me _

Whirling, his mind refused to stand still.  His heart recalled Kagome, tearful and heart broken, trying to throw herself head first down into the well behind her house.  He remembered coming in to find Mrs. Higurashi desperately clutching on to her daughter, Souta wailing for his sister to snap out of it.  And then he’d appeared in front of her, grabbing her shoulders, caught up in the emotional craze taking over her entire family.

“I’m here!  I’m here now!  And I won’t ever leave you again,” the worlds tumbled out of his throat, the last sentence a jumble as the girl threw herself into his arms sobbing, joy, pain, relief, there didn’t seem to be a difference between such intense feelings when they bubbled over.

_ Everything I know, _

_ And anywhere I go _

_ It gets hard but it won’t take away my love _

Kagome’s tired wrinkles eyes falling closed for the last time.  Kristin’s hard glare – the last thing he saw before blinded by pain and despair.  Kosi’s happy dark eyes taking all the children’s worried faces as she sighed for the last time.  Kara’s stony, analyzing eyes melting with tenderness as they blinked through the haze of age pulling her consciousness away.  Kayla sadly apologizing for having to leave him again,  _ “I’m sorry…  so sorry, but I promise to love you when we meet again.” _

_ And when your eyelids fall, _

_ When it’s all said and done _

_ It gets hard but it won’t take away my love _

Kimberly, clean-shaven head resting on the hospital bed, too weak to even turn her neck to face him.  The machine breathed for her and she was barely conscious enough to see him clearly. The beeping heart monitor echoed coldly in the silence and Inuyasha could only watch helplessly as his love suffered through the pain the tumor pressed upon her.   _ “Inuyasha…” _ her last words in this lifetime,  _ “Inuyasha… I love you, Inuyasha…  My Inuyasha…” _

_ I’m here without you baby _

_ But you’re still on my lonely mind _

_ I think about you baby _

_ And I dream about you all the time _

_ I’m here without you baby _

_ But you’re still with me in my dreams _

_ And tonight girl it’s only you and me _

The last chord rang through the suppressed air in the cemetery.  As the sun slowly sank in the domed city, Inuyasha finally allowed the tears to flow, his white hair blowing around him like a halo, her presence surrounding him like an embrace, his future tumbling out before him like a river, never ending, never slowing, always running to her.  Again and again. 


	4. Chapter 3

**Alternative Ending III**

By Kitty

* * *

 

He moved slowly – hypnotically – running rough, time hardened hands against her shoulders, arms, right down to the tips of her fingers.  Keiko shivered under his touch. She watched as he lifted her hands in front of her, strangely disembodied as they loosely held his clawed digits.  The heat from his body on her back was burning hot, yet hotter still, was the fire inside her chest. Keiko panted. Her knees were slack. The hanyou standing behind her was her only support at this point.  She shivered again as his arms wrapped around her, squeezing her against his chest as if to absorb her. This is her other half, she realized, the missing part of her she never knew she’d lost. The new-age miko let her emotions rush over her, her spiritual powers pulsing in time with her heart.  Fullness, a strange elated sensation that made her feel larger than the earth itself. It was love.

Inuyasha felt his body come alive with a fiery passion that had been secretly burning for decades.  ‘Keiko…’ his mind practically purred her name, ‘Keiko, Keiko, Keiko, Keiko, Keiko…’

Keiko turned in his embrace, as if responding to his heart’s call.  Inuyasha barely had time to register her change of position before her lips rose up to meet his in a bruising kiss.  Two fires, melding into one, Inuyasha and Keiko sank to the ground beside the bed, both no longer in possession of the strength it took to stand.  The boy whimpered, ears instinctively lying back as Keiko slowly dominated the kiss. Tears were forming in his tightly closed eyes and relief and joy battled desire and passion in his heart.  Finally, he had his mate.

‘My mate,’ Inuyasha growled inside his head.  The thought sent a surge of fire through his system, making him rise up, forcing Keiko to crane her neck lest she break contact with him.  ‘My mate,’ Inuyasha thought again, gently pushing her onto her back. “My mate,” Inuyasha growled into her ear, sending a rippling of shivers up her spine.  “My mate…” Inuyasha said again, over his mate mark, feeling heat pool under his lips. “Mine…”

Keiko couldn’t grasp reality.  Where was up and down? She could feel Inuyasha’s hot breath against her neck and swooned as blood and pleasure practically boiled outward from that spot, washing over her collar bone and over her chest.  The heat flowed outward still, making her nipples erect and washing lower to collect in a secret place between her legs. “Mine…” she heard him voice. The heat pulsed as if alive, conceived from the love between her and her Inuyasha.  She wanted to feel him. All of him.

Inuyasha grunted in surprise when Keiko’s arms snaked behind his back and pulled him down to crush the petite girl beneath him.  He tried to support his body weight to at least allow her to breathe but she was having none of it. Flush chest to chest, every rolling growl, ever uttered moan was conveyed with touch, reverberating between each other in a closeness that seemed surreal.  Growing frustration at the last barrier between the two of them, Keiko finally relinquished his nearness in order to bring her hands to his chest, pulling and tugging at his shirt, wishing to simply tear the nuisance away.

Inuyasha’s chuckle turned into a purring growl when her fingers found the sculpted marble of his chest.  Reaching for his collar, his claws raked down the front of the shirt, giving Keiko full access to his chest and abs.  She wasted no time committing his body to memory, the lines and scars oddly familiar as well as the moans and growls emanating from it.  

The virgin girl gasped with embarrassment when a strange object began to pulse and nudge insistently against her thigh.  Inuyasha’s movements paused when he felt her stiffen. ‘Is she not ready yet?’

The dog demon gently lifted himself off of her a few inches, watching her face intently.  Keiko couldn’t seem to make eye-contact with him and the raging fire inside him wavered. “Inuyasha…”

He whimpered with need, the demon inside him practically ripping its way out, demanding to be satisfied.  Instead, he slowly moved to stand, bringing the furiously blushing girl with him. She still kept her head down, shy, flustered.  ‘Take her… Take her now!’ the demon blood howled, the scent of her arousal drugging him.

“I-I…” Keiko struggled to speak.  Inuyasha stopped her with a hand gently caressing her cheek.  He looked down at her with warm amber eyes and sighed, offering her a lopsided smile.

“I can wait,” he said seriously, mentally beating his inner demon into submission, “I will always wait for you, and that’s something you can always, always, count on.”

Keiko swallowed with difficulty, her heart throbbing with a bittersweet joy.  She heard the dry rasp in his voice and saw the wonton desire inside those expressive golden eyes – eyes that saw so much, and suffered so many horrors.  ‘My poor Inuyasha,’ she cried inside her head. 

It was more though, that had made her embarrassed and hesitant.  There was a strange fire engulfing her heart that made her want strange things.  She wanted to touch him, to feel him. She wanted to rake her nails across his back and hear him howl her name.  Her chest ached with a need so purely primal she shocked herself out of the moment. ‘How do I get it back?’ she thought.

Inuyasha was moving away, his self-control dangerously close to slipping.  Keiko’s hands tightened on the remnants of his shirt, making him look back at her face.  She lifted her stormy gray eyes to his. Tears swam in them, making her eyes shimmer in the moonlight.  

“I’m scared,” Keiko admitted, dropping her gaze back to his chest, “I’ve… I’ve never felt like this before…”

She swallowed hard, mustering up some courage, any courage.  Inuyasha brought his hands up to hers, gently pulling them off his torn shirt and backing away slowly.  His actions brought out an innate response in Keiko, her inhibitions suddenly diminished at the thought of losing his warmth.

“No!” she cried, “I-It’s not that I’m not ready…”  

Keiko grabbed his two hands in hers, jerking her head up to stare into his eyes, fear and desire so strongly present in them, Inuyasha felt his waning arousal literally spring back into position. 

“I… I never wanted this before,” Keiko said, struggling to clarify, “I… kind of scared myself… with what I actually want to do…”  Keiko ducked her head, “It’s kind of embarrassing…”

Inuyasha smiled down at the top of her head.  “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he said to her.  Leaning down so that his breath would brush against her ear, he whispered softly, more like a husky rumble from deep inside his chest, “Now tell me, what is it exactly that you want?”

Keiko leaned towards him, relishing the tickling sensation against her ear.  Trust. The safety and security of that grounding emotion slowly loosened her body, relaxed her, until she was ready to say it.

“I want to be one with you, Inuyasha.”

It couldn’t have happened at a worse time.  A loud bang and then the sound of shattering glass alerted them to the intruder.  Neither moved for a good two seconds, trying to kick their minds back into gear and register the meaning of the racket they were hearing.  Demons. On the Shrine grounds. And very quickly nearing the house.

Inuyasha’s eyes flashed, rage and frustration suddenly reaching a record setting maximum.  Keiko went rigid in his arms, hardly believing what was happening. Outside they heard a triumphant shout, “That soul is mine!”

The young miko paled.  Inuyasha could smell the fear and shock rolling off of her.  Before she had time to realize it, the dog demon had dashed out the window, ready to wreak pain and retribution to those that dared interrupt him,  _ tonight _ of all nights.  

It was the sounds of battle that drew Keiko into action.  The sound of tearing flesh and cries of death finally settled the gears back into place and her body moved automatically.  Grabbing the small handgun in her nightstand, Keiko ran to the window.

Blood sprayed as his claws tore through the rancid flesh.  His eyes flashed red as he allowed his frustrated, raging demon to the surface.  ‘Interrupt me and my mate will you,’ the demon growled, ‘Fucking cock-block me will you…’

It was the smell of her fear that finally pulled him out of his red hazed anger.  Pausing, Inuyasha glanced up to see Keiko’s wide-eyed form in the window. She stared beyond him as a shadow rose up to block out the moon.   _ His _ stench hit the hanyou’s nose like a ton of bricks.  Inuyasha’s eyes were as wide as Keiko’s, and he stood stone still, unwilling to turn around to confirm what his nose was telling him.

“It’s been a while, Inuyasha,” the deep sinister voice rumbled from behind him.  Inuyasha swallowed, finally turning to face the threat.

“Not long enough, Naraku.”

_ ‘Naraku?!’ _  Inuyasha had said.  Keiko stood frozen at the window, a useless firearm hanging like dead weight in her hands.  One look at his red eyes, one rolling sensation of the dark miasma falling off of him like sand, the hatred and blackness petrified her.  Keiko had faced many things in her life, but this was definitely  _ not _ something she could handle.   _ ‘Naraku? _  The very same nemesis that haunted the Shikon no Tama legend?’  Keiko’s mind keened, ‘Impossible! He was defeated!’

When the dark tentacled monster moved before her, she flinched, already imagining the pain his claws were about to inflict.  But it wasn’t her retched cry that spilled out into the night. Keiko’s heart turned cold when she saw Inuyasha, impaled through the middle, weakly clawing at the inky arm that had run him through.  It was his voice that woke her.

“INUYASHA!!!”  Keiko’s arms never moved so quickly.  Off with the safety, cock, aim, fire. Naraku grunted in surprise to see his arm separate from his body.  Inuyasha crumpled to the ground with a moan. His soft curses were stillborn in his throat as yet another tentacle punctured his body.  This time, Inuyasha found himself skewered to the God Tree, his shoulder bleeding in rivers as the fire of pain burned through every nerve in his mind.  

“YAAAAAAAHHHHH…”  

Tears blinded her.  Keiko could no longer see enough to aim.  Both her hands clenched at her windowsill and she screamed defiance to the scene in front of her.  Tapping into a power she’d never used before, all her senses, her anger and hate, focused on the monster in front of her house.  She didn’t need her sense of sight to find him; his tainted spirit was more than enough. Right as she threw the power she’d gathered at her target, Naraku’s deep chuckle filled the night air.  

“That’s quite a display, little girl,” he said calmly, the smile undeniable in his voice, “Until next time, Kagome.”

When the light from her holy powers faded, Keiko looked down to see an unconscious Inuyasha lying crumpled beneath the God Tree.  Unwilling to let him out of her sight, she leaped out the window to the ground, rolling to avoid injury and raced to him, her tears and hiccupping wails sounding hollow in the nighttime air.  

It was a strange silence that filled the atmosphere.  Empty, void-like, Keiko tentatively called his name.

“Inuyasha?”

He didn’t move.  Not a muscle flinched.

“Inuyasha?!” Keiko whispered desperately, her sobs choking in her throat.  She was almost afraid to touch him. Her heart lodged in the back of her mouth.  Was he breathing? It was hard to tell from his prone position. His wounds were still bleeding profusely and she knew she should be trying to stop the flow.  Finally, her mind was able to coax movement from her limbs and she moved to stroke her hanyou’s face. It was cool, clammy, not the warm, firm skin it should have been.  Keiko stopped breathing. She stopped seeing. In that growing puddle of deep red blood, Keiko couldn’t find the strength to do more than kneel there before the God Tree, gently stroking Inuyasha’s limp face.

It rose slowly, inside of her.  A strange wellspring of conviction, determination.  There was a strength and a power she’d never known before and she felt it growing, bubbling to the surface, as if called by the scent of the hanyou’s blood.  Somewhere deep down, Keiko knew what it was. How much of his pain had she witnessed and soothed across the centuries? How much of his blood had splashed across her hands as she tended his wounds?  

The spirit of Kagome that slept inside of her gently rose up to sooth the burning in Keiko’s heart.  As if telling her it would be alright, Kagome urged her into motion, tenderly shifting Inuyasha’s position so she could use whatever cloth was at her disposal to stem the flow of blood.  Tightly binding his chest and shoulder with his torn shirt and her own, she struggled to stand under his weight, muscles burning as she dragged him into the house. 

\---

He roused to what felt like a jackhammer ramming away at his skull.  A disoriented sense of sight and sound made his temples pulse in response to his sudden motion to sit up.  Smell, his nose slowly began to work, seeking out the stench of his age-old arch enemy, muscles sore and taught, trying to prepare for the next attack.

A soft hand gently touched his arm; another cupped his face.  Her sent washed over him as his eyesight cleared and the most beautiful thing in the world appeared in front of him.

“Lay back,” Keiko said soothingly, happy tears welling in the corners of her eyes to see him seemingly spring back to life.  “Lay back and rest. Your wounds will open if you keep moving.”

Wounds.  Wounds from Naraku.  How many centuries ago was the last time he was wounded by that irritating monster?  Inuyasha sank back into the soft pink sheets, realizing suddenly that he was in fact in  _ her _ bed.

Inuyasha grunted with effort, “Why am I in your bed?”

Keiko gave him a pointed look, and then sighed.  “Yours wasn’t even made. Where on earth do you sleep normally?  On the floor?”

Inuyasha’s ears twitched slightly, remembering that minor detail.  He took a breath and glanced to the side.

“Well…  It’s hard to sleep in an empty bed when your mate’s not with you…” he grumbled under his breath.  Keiko, by now used to his habit of muttering, heard him and her brow furrowed sadly. She gently cradled his cheek in her hands, smoothing his hair and running a thumb under the curve of his bottom lip.  She bent down and kissed those lips, then bit her own in an effort not to cry.

“I thought I was going to lose you,” Keiko said softly.  Inuyasha put a clawed hand over her own, pressing her hand against his face and drawing it under his nose in order to place a chaste kiss on her palm. 

“After all these years,” he said, aiming for a light, drawling tone, “you should know by now that there’s no way I’m leaving you.”

Keiko’s lips twitched in a brief smile before sobering again.  She gazed down at Inuyasha, biting the inside of her cheek. Inuyasha sensed the change in her emotions and glanced up at her.

“What?” he asked, head cocked to one side, ears swiveled to focus solely on her.  Keiko watched him carefully before speaking.

“I met Kagome.”

“… What?!”  Inuyasha coughed as the exclamation sent shooting stars of pain from his belly.  Keiko rushed to check his bandages but was stopped by a pair of shaking hands. Inuyasha drew a short breath and asked again.

“What?”

“I met Kagome.”  Keiko ducked her chin, glancing to the sides before finally bringing her eyes back to meet his.

“When you were unconscious under the God Tree, half dead and bleeding, I didn’t know what to do,” she explained, “I was panicking, I thought you were going to die.  I was so scared.”

Keiko moved to sit down on the bed beside him.  She rubbed her fingers against each other, uncertainty and nervousness making them cold.

“Then something sort of came up inside of me, almost like a memory.  It was like something else was in my body. I was so panicky, I just let it take control.  It did everything, took care of you, as if patching up wounds like that was something it did everyday…”

Inuyasha sank back into the sheets with a sigh.  Keiko could feel the trembling in his fingers as he hung onto them, knuckles white, almost painfully tight.  She watched him carefully. He said he loved her, chased after her, and would follow her into eternity. But it was really Kagome he chased after… right?

The demon in her bed inhaled deep into his chest, calming his mind.  He glanced down at the bandages tightly holding his wounds closed and relaxed his grip on Keiko’s small hands.  A small smile touched the edges of his lips as his thoughts leaped from place to place in his head. ‘Kagome…’

“It wasn’t Kagome,” Inuyasha said finally.  Keiko frowned and glanced away. She felt absolutely certain the spirit that rose up to care for him was that long ago lover.  

“It wasn’t just Kagome,” he clarified, “It was you all the way.”

The girl beside him shifted, and swallowed hard before speaking.  “What do you mean? I’ve definitely never had to deal with anything like this.  I was going into shock! It was like I couldn’t breathe! I really thought you were going to die!  I –“

Inuyasha took her hands and pulled her so he could bring a clawed finger to her lips.  The rough gesture was softened when his hand moved to caress her check, his thumb rubbing soothing circles to help her calm down. 

“Kagome would never have known how to tie a bandage wrap like this,” Inuyasha said, “Nor would she know about that particular remedy in dealing with blood loss.”  He gestured to that familiar brew steaming on the nightstand beside him. Keiko looked at the mug, its aroma striking a strangely recognizable chord. She was positive she’d never made it before, yet always kept a fully armed cupboard brimming with the herbs and supplies that went into the tea.  She frowned in confusion.

“They are you,” Inuyasha said softly, “Every one of your lives still live in you.  You’re the culmination of wisdom from every reincarnation. It’s that inner strength that I love most about you.  That, and your amazingly boundless capacity for love and forgiveness.”

Keiko’s brow remained furrowed, a strange mix of dejection and confusion etched into her features.  The half demon narrowed his eyes, watching her closely.

“And don’t you dare say that it’s not  _ you _ I love but your previous incarnations or Kagome.  Even people in normal relationships and marriages change and evolve over time.  Some break apart and some get closer. I like to say that I happen to keep falling more and more in love with the growing, changing you.  Look at me, Keiko.”

Keiko bit the inside of her cheek, tears forming in her eyes and tried not to lock eyes with his golden ones.  With his hand still stroking her cheek, she had little choice but to meet his gaze. Those gold, amber eyes always saw straight through her, it wasn’t fair!

_ I love you, Keiko. _

That’s what those eyes said.  Inuyasha reemphasized his unspoken words with a verbal vow, “I love the present you, Keiko.  I loved you in the past, and I know I will love you in the future. Regardless of what name you go by, what skin you wear, or who’s family you’re born into.  I love you.”

The tears finally spilled over and the fierceness in his gaze softened, emotions still swimming with painstaking clarity in those golden depths.  Keiko held his hand against her cheek, and then brought it to her lips. Kissing his palm roused the sleeping demon within him and he growled at his current state of weakness, wishing he had the strength to reach out and hold her tight in his arms.  Keiko returned his hand in order to press the sweet smelling tea into them.

“Drink it before it gets cold,” she said gently, “It’s late; I’ll use your room tonight.”

Keiko stopped rising when his hand gripped her arm.  She looked down into his face and had to smile.  _ Why the abandoned look, Inuyasha? _

“Stay with me tonight?” Inuyasha said, almost a whisper.  Keiko almost laughed at his uncharacteristic childishness.  She looked at the small bed and almost said no, but his eyes held hers again and she knew she couldn’t refuse.

“Let me wash up, I’ll be right back.”

Satisfied with her answer, Inuyasha let go of her arm and focused on the liquid in front of him, memories of sub-Saharan Africa floating through his brain.  The smell of Kosi’s secret recipe reminded him of rough nights in the most war torn regions of that tattered continent. So many orphans… His brooding was interrupted when Keiko reentered the quite room and she silently turned off the light.  Her scent embraced him before she even touched the bed and all that was heard was the soft rustling of the welcoming sheets as she crawled in to lie beside him. For the first time in over 5 decades, Inuyasha was able to sleep beside his mate. Finally, everything was right in the world.

… 

“Run, Coral, Run!”  

Coral leapt gracefully into the air to pluck the ball in mid-flight and made a mad dash to the end zone.  It was obvious to anyone watching that she was an athlete, her entire body honed for speed and agility. Merlin took the briefest of moments to admire her pumping legs and slim, sturdy body before taking off after her.  Inuyasha tried to position himself in front of her, prepared to tackle her to the ground while Keiko screamed encouragements from behind, fighting desperately to catch up and help block the boys. The half-demon made a dive for Coral’s legs and she smirked.  It was what she was waiting for, Inuyasha always ended up making a decisive action that left little room for adaptive changes in mid-attack. One couldn’t win battles that way. Using remnants of skill from her days in gymnastics, Coral launched herself into the air, flipping over herself and clutching the football protectively against her stomach.  With a graceful two-footed landing Coral grinned triumphantly down at the two boys, Merlin having tripped over the white haired, muddy boy before he could stop himself. Keiko came running up behind them.

“Yeah!  TOUCHDOWN!” she shouted, jogging past the boys to slap high-fives with her best friend.  

“Uugh…  Get offa me!” a smothered voice below Merlin growled angrily.  Mer heavily rolled off of the grumbling hanyou and stood up.

“Best five out of nine?” he asked.  The girls were having a winning streak (playing dirty of course…).  Coral stuck her tongue out at her boyfriend, and then slapped him lightly across the cheek when he told her to save it for tonight.  Keiko was about to take him up on the offer but noticed a splash of red across Inuyasha’s abdomen.

“Inuyasha, sit down,” Keiko said, worriedly pulling up his shirt to examine the bandages underneath.

“Damn,” Coral whispered, “What happened to you?”

Keiko’s mouth open and closed a few times, not sure how to answer the question.  Inuyasha, used to coming up with excuses for inexplicable injuries, spoke up quickly, “Tripped and impaled myself.”

Merlin whistled as Keiko’s gentle hands uncovered the red-stained bandages.  She frowned before reaching for her duffle bag, pulling out first aid supplies.  Coral peeked over Inuyasha’s shoulder, eyes wide with surprise and worry.

“What on earth did you fall on?” she said.  Inuyasha grunted as Keiko removed the bandages.  His wounds had healed quickly, the only reminders of that awful night was the gnarled black scab gradually closing up on his torso.  

“Stupid pole – gyah!” Inuyasha yelped in pain, glaring at Keiko as she pressed an alcohol soaked gauze square against the flaking scab.  Keiko stuck her tongue out at him.

“What’s wrong, tough guy?” she said, the mocking in her voice was tempered by the concern in her eyes.  Inuyasha rolled his eyes before stretching up to kiss her jaw. Coral and Merlin exchanged glances before joining the couple.

“So Keiko…” Coral began, a sly tone in her voice, “When did you and Inuyasha become an item?”

Keiko’s blush reached her hairline and she sputtered.  Inuyasha coughed a little, taking the ends of the bandage wrap from her hands to finish tying himself up.  Coral and Merlin both laughed at their friends’ expense and moved to gather up their towels and bags. 

“Come on guys,” Merlin chimed, “Let’s go grab something to eat.  We can’t continue the game with Inuyasha all bloody now can we?”

“Bah, I’m fine,” Inuyasha protested while being led away.  Keiko cooed patiently to him, “Of course you are…” while Coral poked Merlin in the ribs, demanding that losers treat the winners.  None in the group except for Inuyasha was aware they were being watched. The blood red eyes of the wind demon narrowed, watching her enemies from so long ago leave the park.  She fanned herself lazily, intrigued by the reunion.  _ I must report back to Sesshoumaru _ , she thought to herself,  _ he would know what this means… _

Inuyasha’s white ears lay back, intently listening to the movements of the hidden demon in the trees.  When he heard her fan flick, the hanyou involuntarily flinched, familiar with what often follows. A strong gust of wind tore through the park as Kagura gracefully rode her feather away.  Inuyasha sighed, relaxing,  _ At least she’s on our side now… _

The dog hanyou refocused his ears in the direction he was heading.  The artificial sunlight was beginning to fade and he felt his shoulders stiffen slightly, thinking back to the real sunsets and nights he’d lived through.  Ageless, he may be, but eternal life had its surprising upsides. Though Inuyasha failed to grow in physical strength, he did grow in other ways. Wisdom, and a few sparse bursts of profound insight occasionally struck the long-lived hanyou, and this was one of those moments.   _ The world is dying _ , his infrequently observant mind told him.   _ The world is dying…  Time is on the cusp of change. _

Inuyasha pulled Keiko’s arms around his waist as they settled atop his motorcycle, ready to follow Merlin and Coral to the diner.  The wind around him seemed restless. There was a tickling sensation in his veins. Things were about to change, and it is that unforeseeable event that had him on edge.   A clawed hand tightened its grip around the soft fists of the girl clinging to his back. Anxiety nagged at his chest. The only thing his mind could focus on as they sped through the immaculately kept streets was Keiko.   _ Keiko, Keiko, Keiko _ .  

… 

The Western Lord’s eyes narrowed, listening to Kagura’s report.  Imperceptible from the surface, the old dog demon’s mind whirled like a hurricane about to crash onto shore.  He’d sensed it before, the shifting of the winds. Whenever her soul returns to the mortal world, a similar burst of activity occurs – a change in directions, a new scent in the air.  Wind in the demon realm bore a special trait. Wind was the agent of change here, and in the last century, he’d felt it become more insistent, more turbulent, like a dragonet eager to test its wings in flight.  And here was Kagura, born of the wind itself, reporting on the wind’s effects in the human world. Visions from the past arose in his mind, shaking off dust and dirt, appearing fuzzy at first before materializing to surprising clarity before him.  A female demon slayer, an anomaly in her profession, wields her giant boomerang with graceful ease. A traveling monk, cursed by evil and consumed by perverse thoughts, bravely fights beside the hanyou, despite the odds. These figures had never returned from the pages of history in such faithful form to their previous lives until now.  This was a sign, too blaring to miss, and Sesshoumaru missed nothing, not since he became the Guardian of Time, a secret responsibility his esteemed father bore before him. 

“Leave me,” Sesshoumaru’s deep baritone voice reverberated the walls, its source indiscernible.  Kagura shivered unconsciously. Though Sesshoumaru by many standards was aged for a demon, he yet bore his youthful appearance and strength.  Even she was beginning to see and feel the effects of time. Her once flashing ruby eyes now bore a slight sheen of age. Furrows in her brow have long since stopped smoothing away after frowning.  She almost feared the day she would no longer be useful to the great demon lord. Sesshoumaru’s deep amber eyes only seemed to grow in depth and wisdom, never once losing their crystalline sharpness.  The rash, proud dog with the raging power of an angry forest fire had since cooled to the cold, distant strength of the mountain, permanent, wise, impenetrable. 

Kagura bowed lightly before lightly exiting the room, eager to visit the bathhouse in the great castle, to soak in the essences of punished humans and to absorb strength from the sinners doomed to suffer eternity in the hell pits of this realm.  The cruel beauty treatments that can be accessed by the highest levels of the demon nobility are open to her as a private agent of Lord Sesshoumaru and she was grateful for their unique services. She left Lord Sesshoumaru to brood over the unsettling chain of events occurring in the human world.

… 

Things were difficult in this world, much more difficult.  With the toxic abyss outside preventing him from running free of the domed shelter, it was difficult indeed to seek out refuge within the synthetic human world.  Naraku’s inky tentacles raked over the corpses of this victim, a most unsatisfying meal. In the long abandoned labyrinth of escape routes and old subway stations beneath the city, he was able to recuperate, granted uncomfortably.  He had no doubt his presence on the surface had triggered a cascading chain reaction which would ultimately end in a death hunt for his head. He must regain his strength. 

Naraku grunted, disgust plainly written across his face.  That damned little miko had grown powerful. Way too powerful.  And yet, it pleased him, to know that Kikyou’s soul had blossomed so well.  Kagome… she had truly achieved magnitudes more than her previous incarnate had been able to.  She had defeated him in a past life, and then had gone on to return time and time again in order to grow this strong.  

Well that certainly isn’t fair.  Naraku slowly stretched his regenerating body, an odd pulse starting somewhere in his gut.  The evil demon looked down in surprise, and then grinned. Kagome may have become stronger, but so had he.  He didn’t know exactly when he had gained consciousness in this world, why he had been brought back. He didn’t remember this current body’s last memories, why several hundreds of demons in this time had decided on a merger.  He didn’t know what has happened between that epic battle so many ages ago, or why he had the Naraku of the past’s memories. But he did know one thing. That girl, this Keiko, the latest iteration of Kikyou, he wanted her. He needed her.  The undeniable draw of her strength, her power, her warmth. He’d felt it while he lay dormant in the Shikon no Tama shortly after battle with that damned dog hanyou. It was magnetic, addictive, enslaving. Souls of that caliber did not arise often.  She outshone them all. Significantly greater than his need to collect the jewel shards, several times more than his ache to possess Kikyou, he desired Keiko with every fiber, every ounce of his being. And this time, he wouldn’t allow Inuyasha to take what he wanted away from him.

… 

Coral stretched lazily, pushing her back against the strong, toned muscles of her boyfriend’s abs.  Merlin grunted, enjoying the sensation of her soft, female backside pressing up against him. She giggled and turned to flick him on the nose.  

“I think I’m gonna make some dinner,” she said, purposefully pressing her elbows closer to each other, watching as Merlin struggled to keep his gaze on her eyes.  “Anything you had in mind?”

The boy before her swallowed before answering a quick, “Anything’s good.”  He wished for nothing more than to pull her supple body into his arms and explore the well-mapped expanse of her skin.  But no, he sighed, defeated, as punishment for again allowing his hands to wander to the ample backside of some young blonde, he must endure until Coral decided to forgive him.

Coral closed the door to the bedroom, the boiling anger from earlier abating slightly.  Suddenly inspired by the hanging apron at the doorway to the kitchen, she reopened the door to Merlin’s room a crack, and pulled off her top and bra, letting the articles of clothing slip suggestively to the grown on the inside.  The shifting on the bed told her he was paying attention. She unzipped her jeans and allowed them to join her shirt on the ground. The lacy white panties stayed on. Coral reached for the apron, her skin tingling slightly in the sudden exposure to the cool air.  After fastening the straps of the apron and pulling her hair up so that a few tempting locks gently framed her face and danced down her back, she pushed open the door, giving her boyfriend full view of her veiled nudity.

“Woman, you’ll be the death of me,” Merlin’s lust-filled voice said from the room.  Coral flashed a wicked smile before turning her back and heading for the kitchen, leaving her poor, restrained boyfriend tied spread eagle to the bed, due punishment for his earlier behavior.  She wasn’t afraid, oddly, about her boyfriends perverted behavior, even with her ire at his roving hands. It was a strange feeling, a knowing, that she didn’t have to fear infidelity from this young man.  Despite all the ups and downs, the soliciting of sexual favors from every female he passed, the hands that continued to find the rumps of passing women, she  _ knew _ he still remained faithful to her and her alone.  He’d told her once, that he felt similar things about her, that she was meant for him, in spite of such different personalities.  

_ Soulmates. _

That’s what he’d called them.  Inuyasha and Keiko, too. Merlin said they were soulmates.  She shook her head before popping a frozen lasagna meal into the microwave, her culinary skills limited to the butchery of the game animals she and her father used to bring home for her mother to take care of.  With the limited resources in the domed habitat, game hunting became outlawed many years ago and she dearly missed hunting with her now deceased father. Merlin, on the other hand, had been vegetarian when they first met.  His parents were both deceased and he’d been raised by the neighborhood temple monk of questionable morals. 

The older tomboy couldn’t have believed that a rough and tumble daughter of an ex-military general would end up so in love with a pacifist pervert like Merlin.  It was really Keiko that had smoothed their hard edges and allowed the two to really get close to each other. She really was the glue that formed their group and the buffer when things got choppy.  Coral loved Keiko like her own sister, and she knew Merlin did, too. It was that unexplained trust again, a sort of knowing, deep inside your gut. She knew from the start that Keiko could be trusted, not only with secrets, but with her life as well.  And Coral also knew that she would give her life to save Keiko’s, just like she would for Merlin, just like he would for either of them. It was a given.

Coral shrugged, those deep thoughts were better suited for Merlin’s twisted mind to ponder through.   _ I’m just glad she’s found someone, soulmate or not _ , Coral thought, before returning to the bedroom, meaty lasagna torture prepared for the still, rather vegetarian young man within.

… 

The tall lone figure stood at his desk, gazing solemnly out at the calm serenity before him.  The night was clear and crisp this evening and Sesshoumaru closed his eyes momentarily to absorb the calm of the night.  The moon’s silver glow glistened in his hair, creating a halo around him. In his moments of weakness, when the rare unexpected surprise stirred confusion in his usually omniscient mind, he would remember her.  Her soft hands, her small body, her gentle caress and kind eyes. Yes, even the proud demon lord had a secret haven to take shelter in when his burdens grew too heavy to bear. When Rin’s human soul left the mortal realm to dance and meld with the countless souls in the afterlife, Sesshoumaru’s heart felt, for the first time, the pain of life, the deep, sorrowful thing that we call living, at once the ugliest and most beautiful creation in the universe.  That was the catalyst, a baptism of sorts, the initiation rights that changed him from simply Lord of the Western Lands, to the Guardian of Time, the omniscient being that was responsible for balance.

Sesshoumaru took a deep breath, his nighttime thoughts leading him back to that resonating memory.  It was one of the rare times he’d wept. He’d watched her bloom into womanhood, and then watched her descend into age.  Never before her eyes had he allowed emotions to rack his face, stubborn as he was. But when she finally passed, knowing nothing could be done short of turning her into a marionette to bring her back, that banished the last tendrils of stubborn, emotional wall separating him from his tears and he silently mourned her death, tear drops falling to her old wrinkled face.  It was then that his father reappeared before him.

_ Now you finally understand, my son _

Sesshoumaru could still feel the weight of his father’s words pressing down upon him.  It drove him to his knees, the raw power of his father’s strength made his ears bleed. Nevertheless, he refused to look away and held his father’s eyes.  

_ For such a small human girl to be a catalyst… _

His father had laughed.  How terrible the laughter, bittersweet and all too loud for the tender flesh of his ears.  He could still feel the vibrating sound strike his body like a drummer strikes his drum. Somehow, he managed to summon the strength to greet his father.

“Good evening, Esteemed Father,” Sesshoumaru had said.  The closeness of Rin’s death had broken the edge of his voice.  It was with new eyes that he beheld his father. New eyes, prepared to learn.

_ Sesshoumaru, my first son.  Why do you think I bestowed Tensaiga to you? _

The demon looked inward, back on his years training, struggling, with the sword.  He thought of the times he used it, and couldn’t use it, and felt he had the right answer.

“To teach me compassion,” Sesshoumaru said, his usual stoic voice creeping back.  The once icy golden eyes retained the film of recently shed tears and the pain was still painted across his face.  His father shrugged a little, nodding slightly.

_ Yes, that was one reason.  But I had intended you to learn more.  Tell me Sesshoumaru, what has the Tensaiga taught you? _

This time, Sesshoumaru finally looked away from his father, down at the woman lying before him.  He contemplated her life, and how it changed him. He contemplated Tensaiga’s urgings whenever he dealt with her.  When he spoke, his voice was soft, with more emotion any living being had ever heard in the great demon lord’s voice.

“I have learned that life is both strong and fragile… and that it rises and ebbs like the tide.  It must be filled, with both laughter and tears. I learned that everything must have its opposite, for it is only by knowing pain, that one may know pleasure.  Duality, that is what Tensaiga taught me.”

Sesshoumaru lifted his eyes to behold his father once again, surprised to see the demon smiling.  He’d never once seen his father smile, not even in the scant times he’d encountered him while fighting with and against in younger brother.   

_ Yes, every yin must have its yang.  You have done well, my son. It is time for you to bear yet one more burden.  You will become Time’s Guardian. You will watch over life, and guide destiny.  You are now Keeper of the Balance. It was a duty entrusted to me in my time. Now, I bestow it upon you.  I failed my duty, and I am afraid you must finish what I could not. Restore the duality, Sesshoumaru. The fates are determined in this decision.  You are both blessed and cursed in this, for you are not permitted to fail. Time has gone long enough with uneven scales. You are not permitted to find rest until this duty is complete. _

His father’s face, which had hardened into a scowl, again softened, gazing down at his son.  He gently reached out and placed a glowing, translucent palm atop Sesshoumaru’s head, rekindling memories of a time when father and pup traveled together, learning to fight and spare beside his father.  

_ You are not alone in this duty.  Inuyasha will also play his part, as will his intended.  Regretfully, I am not permitted to disclose more. I am sorry and ashamed to leave behind such a mess for my own sons to clean up. _

Again, the departed demon lord’s face turned cold.  Sesshoumaru braced himself instinctively. And then, in a thundering voice shook the younger demon to his very bones, his father spoke unto him.

_ Sesshoumaru, my son, Demon Lord of the Western Lands, hear this and accept this edict.  You will be the Guardian of Time, Keeper of the Balance. You will guide the paths of fate and restore harmony to our universe.  You will not seek escape from this responsibility; even death will be denied you until the scales are restored.  _

The pressure on his head began to lessen.  Sesshoumaru looked up to see the fading image of his father smiling down at him once again.

_ Be strong, my son. _

And then he was gone.

It has been a long time since then.  Sesshoumaru still didn’t understand everything his father had told him, but he tried his best with the instructions given.  He saw that humans and demons could no longer live together in harmony so he separated the realms. He watched and he took note of the events that surrounded him.  He adapted and changed the course of history in both the demon world and the human one. And all the while, he carefully watched his brother. 

Sesshoumaru pinched the bridge of this nose.  By now he could begin to see the edges of what his father meant.  His Esteemed Father had failed somewhere. The scales were tipped, the world was out of harmony.  And the seeds of which were sown many years before the epic conclusion to his younger brother’s journey in the Sengoku Jidai.  But what were those seeds?

The demon took a sharp fortifying breath.  The pieces were there, and the uncanny reproduction of an event that occurred 1500 years ago was too blatant to ignore.  If he were to take the obvious explanation, then he knew what he must do next. A clawed hand decidedly reached for the tiny button.  

“Jaken, come to my study.”

“Immediately, my lord!” the eager reply resounded, too loud for the peacefully solemn room.  Sesshoumaru remained standing, face unreadable as he mentally arranged his next actions. When the old, limping toad demon finally emerged, Sesshoumaru was ready.

“What can I do for you, Lord Sesshoumaru?” Jaken inquired.  Over the years, Jaken had grown less and less formal around his demon master.  For some reason, Sesshoumaru forgave the breach in formality. Jaken’s wizened old head was littered with age spots now, and his hip bothered him greatly.  Yet he stubbornly demanded to remain in the service of his un-aging master, no matter the consequence. Perhaps that was why Sesshoumaru couldn’t find the resolve to be hard on the little green demon in the way that he used to be.

“Fashion an official summons for the two humans, Yamamoto Merlin and Arakaki Coral.  They will be brought to me no later than the next quarter moon. That is all.”

Jaken bowed, not bothering to inform Sesshoumaru that the next quarter moon was in only two days.  He left the room, knowing how his master enjoyed nettling him with ridiculous missions and hard timelines.  Rather than fret, now he simply pushed the responsibilities to others. ‘Hmm… Who haven’t I threatened with Lord Sesshoumaru’s wrath in a while?  Kekeke…”

Sesshoumaru finally sat before his desk, a sleek monitor desktop glowing atop with a hard light.  He began to make preparations for his soon to be guests and as the night began to fade into day, he finally sought rest in his bedchambers. 


	5. Chapter 4

**Alternative Ending IV**

By Kitty

* * *

 

It was probably the strangest dream she'd ever had in her life. The tall, sturdy girl looked around in confusion. Not just side to side, but up and down, there was nothing surrounding her. Pure and empty. Coral took a hesitant step forward, surprised to feel the ground beneath her feet. Encouraged, she took another step, and then another. A long time passed this way, a small eternity. Coral didn't realize it right away, but after a time, she could hear her own footsteps. A quick glance downward and sure enough, there was now a floor beneath her feet. Not just any floor. A fantastically colored morphing floor; surreal designs raced beneath her in bright hues at mind blurring speeds. Coral looked away, straight ahead. It was probably her belief that she was dreaming that kept her upright and walking forward, wherever forward went. One step, and then another, on and on, forever…

Merlin first became aware of his predicament very suddenly.  One second he was cringing against an impending slap in the downtown square, and the next, he floated in a sea of emptiness, feeling very much the way he ordinarily felt during meditation. Eyebrows knit and a hand came up to scratch his chin. "Where am I?" he spoke into the void. Nothing happened. Looking around, he sighed.  “Huh…” Still silence and stillness answered him. Merlin sat. With legs crossed and another deep bracing sigh, he placed his hands together in one of the ancient forms he'd learned as a child and began to turn inward, the confusion in his mind hindering him greatly. Inhale… then exhaled… then inhale…

As Merlin's thoughts lead him through many spirals deep, deep and deeper into meditation, Coral was just beginning to see something ahead of her. Squinting, she could make out a small shape, a tiny shadow. Emboldened, she marched forward faster, her unease with her strange surroundings made her eager to resolve the puzzling situation quickly.

Merlin didn't know when, but it eventually occurred to him that he was seated on a hard surface. Not chancing his eyes open, lest he break the concentration he'd finally been able to achieve, he continued to meditate, bringing his consciousness deeper and deeper into himself. He was actually reaching levels he'd never been able to achieve before. Deeper and deeper, clearer and clearer, he could almost feel enlightenment knocking…

"MERLIN?!"

Jolted awake, the boy toppled over, looking up to see the sweating, panting face of his most beloved of groping targets.

"Coral," Merlin responded matter-of-factly. Her panic always brought out the more level-headedness in him. He always felt a deep-rooted need to sooth any discomfort Coral betrayed when they were together.

"What are you doing here? Where IS here? What's going on? WHY ARE WE HERE?" The questions came out in mad rush. Merlin picked himself up, dusting off his robes. 'Robes?' He glanced at Coral, mouth opening ajar as his eyes drank in the sight before him.

"What are you staring at?" Coral asked, looking down to take stock of herself.

"EEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!"

"AAAAACK!"

Both humans turned toward the source of the squawk they'd heard from behind them, Coral's panic at finding herself attired in a skin-tight cat suit momentarily forgotten. They found themselves staring down at a small green figure with more wrinkles than a shar pei puppy. The thing muttered to itself grumpily, rearranging its ancient set of robes before turning back to them. Coral unconsciously clutched her boyfriend's arm, resolving to ask him about his robes at another time. Merlin frowned, the stature and hue of the third party striking strange cords of familiarity in his mind.

"Ehm, I see you two have arrived safely," the creature squeaked, "I trust the journey was good one."

Merlin felt Coral shift uncomfortably beside him. Indeed, having an alien, toad-like humanoid address you would be rather disturbing. But the creature didn't seem to notice his guests' discomfort and continued casually.

"If you will follow me this way, Lord Sesshoumaru awaits."

And then the toad spun around, and began hobbling down the dark, foreboding corridor they now found themselves in. The couple stared in bewilderment before being startled into action when the green-skinned creature paused to shout a snappy, "Hop to it!", never once glancing back to his confused human guests.

The air around them seemed to grow more and more oppressive. Merlin's senses began to tickle strangely, spotting flashes of movement in the darkness. The thick heavy robes he wore draped around, almost protectively, and he pensively mulled over the surreal feelings of recollection he felt as he followed the small green figure.

Coral couldn't have been more opposite. Feeling oddly naked in the skin-tight black suit, she walked with an agitated step, her hackles raised, and her every physical sense hypersensitive to her surroundings. The question of how she got here and what that thing they were following was, was quickly fraying the tattered ends of her wits. It was everything she could do to stay in her skin and contain her anxiety and unease.

"Fear not, humans," the toad creature said, making Coral jump. Its voice was like gravel, and somehow made you feel tired upon hearing it. "You will not be harmed."

The declaration did nothing to calm Coral's nerves and the next moment, they came upon a grand entrance. The heavy doors creaked, and then slowly pried themselves open, revealing the monster within.

And what a beautiful monster. Coral caught her breath, eyes wide as they locked on the figure standing before her. The silver white hair that appeared haloed in the moonlight seemed to glide into place, sweeping down elegant shoulders, not broad, but not slim, and down to the floor. Merlin's reaction was one of nervous recognition. 'He is someone to be wary of,' his inner voice told him, 'but a powerful ally.'

Jaken ignored the human's rude gawking and sauntered into the room. Making a shallow bow – his hips no longer humored his need to be formal before his lifelong master – he introduced the guests.

"My Lord Sesshoumaru, I bring before you, the two humans you requested to see," Jaken said, and then turned to the humans. Coughing slightly to clear his throat, he began, "I present Lord Sesshoumaru, Ruler of the Western Lands, Master of all the demon realms."

Golden eyes analyzed the two humans. Though not a muscle twitched on that perfect face, emotions fluttered up from the dusty corners of his heart as he looked upon Coral and Merlin, no, Sango and Miroku. The girl seemed agitated, confused. Sesshoumaru surveyed her body. 'Good,' he thought, 'untrained but strong.'

The male was a different story. Though this life's history did not give Merlin the tools and skills to match his previous life, his mind had somehow retained them, lying dormant and seeping through the small cracks as a sensitivity to his surroundings, an innate spiritual connection that needed only the slightest prodding.

Finally, much to Coral's relief, Sesshoumaru shifted, bringing his attention to the papers on his desk. In a silken baritone, his voice pierced his human guests straight to the bone. "We have much to discuss, and much to prepare. I shall start with this: your friend, Keiko Honda, has been in my employment for over a year. She is currently being targeted and her life and soul are in danger..."

… 

“Once more!” the shrill voice ordered.  Coral panted heavily, sweat pouring down her face.  It had been nearly 3 months since they had been abduct-  _ invited _ to Lord Sesshoumaru’s fortress.  The swordsmanship classes were no easy chore.  Her body was littered with cuts and bruises, a particularly deep gash raked its way across her left thigh from a careless dodge.  This ‘blade master’ was out to kill her. Coral bit back an angry protest as she rose from her prone position, whacking away the blunted blade pointed at her throat.  The settling dust stung her eyes and made her cough. She couldn’t wait to visit the reputed rejuvenation baths she’d been hearing about at dinner. All the junior recruits were whispering about it.  Baths that healed wounds in an instant, released stress and strengthened muscle. The only thing that brought her up to her knees, and then onto her feet was the promise that today, she would be allowed to join the baths.

Merlin’s training didn’t seem to be having the same toll on his body.  However, there was a hollowing in his eyes that she didn’t like. Once she’d asked him what his master’s put him through and he’d replied in a cryptic sentence, “Like a pulse that grows and dies and grows and dies…”  And then he would flip over to the carefree face she’d known for years and direct her attention away from those thinning cheeks and restless nightmares. For some reason, they had originally not been permitted to see each other or share living quarters.  It was only after she’d blown a hole in the corridor wall in frustration that they finally allowed them to rejoin each other at the end of the day. The days were unbearable, despite the promise that this would prepare them to defend their friend and fulfill their destinies.  It was the simple pleasures that pulled them through the day.

Coral brandished her short sword before her attackers.  They jeered at her, mocking her human blood, her sluggish reactions, her female body.  That jolted her, ‘female’. It was a class of taunts that never failed to rile up the angry flames inside her.  Finally, the light turned on behind her flashing eyes.

“You’re going to regret that!” Coral growled under her breath.  All her energies were focused now, everything clicked into place.  She heard the advance of the demon behind her and parried his attack.  A huff of air betrayed the snake demon that had moved forward while she’d turned her head and her gymnast training took hold.  Dodging an impossible offense, Coral twisted away before slicing back. A hiss of pain distracted her and a whack to her leg alerted her to the next danger.  She was slower than the demons, and weaker, but she was smarter. Each demon’s weakness was becoming more and more apparent. The snake wouldn’t always keep track of the rest of his body, the spider can be confused by playing tricks on his eight eyes.  The fire demon’s weakness of obvious, but hard to use, so she played to his strengths until his flames got out of hand. Everything began to focus into crystal clarity and her body sang the sweetest cocktail of endorphins she’d ever experienced. 

Before she realized it, the attacks had ceased and there was silence in the practice pit.  The scent of burning flesh was oppressing and she sensed that it was partially her own. The source of the flames lay collapsed in a corner and her other attackers were hauling themselves up, overwhelming shock riding in their eyes.  

“My Lord!” a voice from the balcony above her exclaimed.  Coral looked up to see the elegant white haired demon gazing down at her.  She’d not seen him since the first confusing night, but this time his eyes did not disorient her.  She returned his stare steadily, her body strong and humming with excitement.  _ ‘More,’¸  _ she craved in her heart,  _ ‘More, send me more!’ _

“This human certainly lived up to your predictions, my Lord,” her blade master said, in a voice striving for calm.  “She has held her own until now and finally has overcome some of our most promising new recruits.”

“Give her the boomerang,” the silken voice said, eyes not straying from hers.  They glittered with anticipation, feeling her call to action. Sango’s spirit had finally awoken in the girl and it had taken less time than he’d expected.  Things were moving quickly with Miroku’s reincarnate as well and soon it will be time to send them into the real war. 

A few short months later, he deemed them to have finally achieved the level their previous incarnations enjoyed in their prime.  It was time to send them back. The storm was approaching and the wind whistled around his castle more insistently now. Besides, Sesshoumaru thought as he glanced down at his laptop monitor, the profile of a particularly nasty snake demon open on the retina screen, just in time to help out with this particular assignment.  The pair was geared up, and sent on their way, and the tall silhouette in the grand window watched over their departure. The Lord of the Western Lands carefully fought the smile tugging at his lips. Whatever the fates had in store, it was likely to be explosive, and for the first time in nearly 2,000 years, Sesshoumaru felt the excitement of bloodshed, of chaos, of change.  

… 

"KEIKO!"

Inuyasha's cry cut through the night air. The girl in question had only a breath's time to dodge the attack. Panting against the wall, Keiko chanced a meek glance upwards, at the location her neck was just a moment before. A terrible gash in the brick, deep and powerful, made her shiver. The demons were becoming more and more persistent, and more difficult to defeat. It was as if something was protecting them, numbing their sense of pain and lending strength to their attacks.  From a short distance away, she could hear the fast-paced footsteps of her hanyou guardian racing to her rescue.

"Get the FUCK away from her, you CREEP!" Inuyasha's entire body was livid with rage and focused energy. The sleeping demon he inherited from his father, and years of hard battles began to surface.  It was a trick he’d mastered sometime in the last 1,000 years, calling up the sleeping demon without losing control to the blood rage. Markings appeared on his cheeks as he allowed the blood to bubble to the surface.  More and more, lately, he'd tapped into an additional buried reserve, a secret spring of experience that gave him the edge over his opponents. While his style still reflected the reckless abandon that became his trademark, it was a craze with reason. His strikes were precise, with just the right amount of power and an amazing flexibility that allowed him to adapt to any change of direction the demon before him made.

The scaly skinned serpent turned lusting red eyes towards the white-haired figure rapidly approaching it. It lashed out with its rattled tail, hidden venomous spikes already dripping their poison. The hanyou dropped to the ground, letting the rough pads of his feet skid along the slick cement. A clawed arm reached towards him and he reacted. Back arched and twisting, an inhuman contortionist act, Inuyasha reached out, his own claws bared. When a scream erupted from the alley, it was the snake demon's hiss of pain.

Keiko gingerly pulled her spare handgun out with her left hand. The snake was injured but not weakened enough for her to get careless. Then there were the other two demons they'd followed into the snake's trap. Where were they? A twinge of pain alerted her to a new injury on her dislocated right arm. Cursing, Keiko found a tiny pin-prick where the snake had snagged her with a venom-tipped spike. While Inuyasha was still occupying the snake, Keiko hurriedly purified the wound and tied a crude tourniquet around her bicep. It will have to do for now.

With very little warning, the boar demon returned from the shadows and began advancing on her, taking advantage of the snake's distraction. Keiko carefully clutched her gun, desperately trying to calm her heart; every pump meant more poison spreading through her veins.

The boar's scent reached Inuyasha's nostrils just as it began to rush Keiko. Inuyasha screamed Keiko's name, his eyes flashing red with desperation. An answering call echoed from shadows. Quickly tearing the spiked rattle off the snake’s tail, he hurled it at the charging beast.  Keiko's bullet managed to hit the hairy demon's shoulder. The combined pain of a purifying bullet and a poisonous ball of thorns was enough to deter it for the moment. Just long enough for a giant, ivory, angled shape to fly out of the darkness and slice the creature in half. At the same moment, a small white sutra flew out from the same direction, searing the skin of the snake.  A scream of pain rang out through the alley, cut short when Inuyasha ended its life with a final strike from his blood-stained claws.

"Keiko!" a female voice shouted. Footsteps rapidly approached them and Inuyasha tensed when he saw the figure that appeared. 'Sango…? What the fuck…?'

A soft groan from the girl behind him got his attention. Keiko slumped forward, her useless right arm lying palm upwards in the growing pool of boar's blood. He was on her in an instant, followed quickly by Coral and Merlin.

"SHIT!" Inuyasha's angry voice blended into a frustrated growl as he quickly sliced a careful cut over the wound. Suck, spit, suck, spit. 'She's going to need more blood…' Inuyasha thought. A rumble behind them caused the two standing humans to turn towards the sound, a sword in one hand, a sutra in the other. The little rat demon that had been watching the scuffle silently in the corner now approached, deciding that he now had a chance, without the other demons competing for the precious glowing soul quickly fading behind the haze the snake's venom had produced. A large pale shape rose up behind it and smothered the small creature, rather unceremoniously toying with the violently struggling, shrieking rodent.

"Thanks, Kita," Coral said softly, before returning concerned eyes to her friend. Keiko was barely lucid, half-lidded eyes watching Inuyasha work over her. Merlin sensed energy behind them, and turned to perform his first act of purification outside the demon realm. Inuyasha heard him move and begin his prayers over the snake demon. 'That's a question for later,' Inuyasha thought, filing another question away in the back of his mind.

"Inuyasha…" Keiko whispered. Golden eyes caught hers and held them.

"You're going to be alright," Inuyasha said calmly, "You've lived through much worse, and I won't let you die."

"I know…"  Keiko sighed softly, relaxing completely now that she could no longer sense any ill-intentioned energy in the vicinity.

Coral began to worry. There was only so much blood a person could stand to lose. How much longer was Inuyasha intending to sit there, pulling so much blood out of her? As soon as that thought passed through her mind, Inuyasha stopped sucking and spitting, used some material from his undershirt to wipe his left forearm, and then proceeded to gouge a deep hole into his wrist.

"INUYASHA?!" Coral screamed, startling Kita out of her game of playing with her dead prey.

The hanyou ignored her outburst, favoring the pale limp body before him. Propping Keiko's head, he pressed his bleeding wrist to her mouth, whispering encouraging words and gently rubbing her throat to urge her to swallow.

The first gulp was difficult, metallic, and queasy.  Keiko swallowed with considerable effort and her insides positively swarmed with nausea.  The second gulp was easier. The third was with the gusto of a suckling infant. Inuyasha winced at the force with which Keiko drank the offered blood. Her half closed eyes flashed red for a moment and he felt the modest nubs of would-be fangs press against his forearm. She finally slowed and fell back into the cradle of his arms.

Inuyasha stood wearily, holding Keiko against his chest protectively. Merlin had long since finished and watched the couple carefully. The demon glanced at the three, disturbed slightly by what he saw: a young woman in a tight black unitard of woven demon skins and armor definitely taken from Sesshoumaru's armory, a young man in similar garb, a little looser, but clearly prepared by his older demon brother, and a kitten, a little demonic kitten Inuyasha had helped bring into the world, a direct descendent of his old friend, Kirara.

Coral and Merlin waited, knowing it will take some time for Inuyasha to process what he was seeing. Though Sesshoumaru had told them to wait for Inuyasha to tell them the full story of their previous incarnations, he did fill them in about the present situation, and a short briefing on what had been happening since they'd passed away. The amber-eyed demon before them blinked once, twice, then shifted.

"Questions, later," he said finally, fatigue bleeding onto his tight face, "Dawn’s coming; let's go back to the shrine."

… 

The air was green and blue and grey. It smelled of wildflowers, trees, and dirt. Never before had a single breath filled her lungs and washed her senses with so much startling clarity. She was weightless, yet heavy at the same time. The sunlight reached out to graze her skin; she could feel its embrace. When the wind chased away the sun's warmth, she could feel the cold brush against her like a silken robe. An overwhelming sensation of peace and nostalgia gripped her chest. So safe, and warm, and protected, in a world of birdsong, and wind in the leaves and grasses. She cast her gaze towards the horizon, the thrill of open air and wild mountains made her heart race.

Awareness came to her slowly. The world of sleep peeled away from her gradually and sleep paralysis held her still while her senses awakened.  First, warmth, engulfing her, enveloping her consciousness, wrapping around her every sensation like a blanket. Quickly following it was a serene sense of safety. The feeling that she was secure, protected, regardless of the storm that raged outside. And then, in quick succession, scent, touch, sound.  Everything was him. She felt Inuyasha's gentle breathing across her cheek, smelled his woody, earthy aroma, heard his soft snoring. Keiko arched her back into his chest, savoring the nearness of him, then drifted back into sleep.

Inuyasha felt her shift, and listened to her breathing return to the deep, even rhythm of sleep. 'Keh… Lazy wench,' he sleepily, allowing his mind to return to the peacefulness of sleep as well.

The evening before was a very eventful one. As soon as Keiko was safe and in bed, Inuyasha had rounded on the two humans.

"What the HELL happened?!"

Merlin and Coral had glanced at each other, neither sure how to start the explanations. That was when Kagura showed up, the breeze making him sneeze.  There was a tense moment on the shrine grounds as the old pair of enemies sized each other up. Kagura enviously glared at the hanyou, his unaging young face and bright golden eyes.  So like her Lord’s. Inuyasha returned her glare with his trademark snarl. Her response had been to lazily snap open her fan, smirking at the youth.

"Hello half breed," the wind demoness greeted, "Still immature and irate as usual."

"Hello  _ baba _ ," the dog demon countered, "Still fighting to hide the wrinkles and the scent of your age I see."

That had earned him a hard rap against his self-injured arm. He'd maintain a dark growl the entire length of Kagura's uninvited visit. But she'd come with a purpose. Merlin's staff had been completed and sharpened, and she was sent to deliver it.  The young monk gratefully accepted the weapon, testing its weight in his hands. It was beautifully crafted, for sure, and deadly. The wind demon had then turned to the still snarling dog hanyou. She’d also been sent to bring a powerful healing medicine from the Head Priestess in Sesshoumaru's employment. Though Inuyasha accepted to gift, it put him in an even worse mood. His brother was watching him.

The other benefit to Kagura's drop in was that she explained the reason for Coral's and Merlin's newest change of occupation more succinctly than either human could have.

"My Lord Sesshoumaru decided you need aid in protecting your human mate. Stop growling at me. I would engage you now, hanyou, but I'm afraid my fan isn't what it used to be."

"Finally admitting your age, old woman?"

That earned him a second hard rap to the same spot.  Inuyasha lunged at her. Before Merlin could step forward to block the angry demon, Kagura took to the air, her low, dark chuckle grating on Inuyasha’s nerves.  It was a half-hearted lunge anyway, and Inuyasha sighed when she was out of sight. The sun had fully broken the horizon and birdsong began to play in the background.  Inuyasha rubbed his forehead before gesturing toward the house.

"You know where Keiko keeps the guest stuff, help yourself. I'm going to bed."

As he started up the stairs, he heard Merlin whisper, "Ah, but who's bed?" followed by a resounding smack. Smiling despite himself, he shook his head and continued towards her room. 'Some things will never change,' he thought.

It was the relief of a thousand years, to sink under the covers, wrap his arms around his beloved and drop into sweet oblivion, her warmth guiding him there. The room was tinted a hot orange and light pink from the morning light through the rosy curtains and Inuyasha's final thought was, 'My Mate…’

…

“My mate," the one cohesive thought that pulled him through countless centuries. "My mate."

Inuyasha pulled her body close, felt her tremble beneath the rough, sensitive pads of his fingers. He dragged his tongue lazily across her surface, listened to her gasp and felt goose-bumps alight on her arms. "My mate," the words melted into the constant purring rumble in his chest. Skin on skin, mouth to mouth, heart to heart. His whole world was Keiko. His whole existence rotated with her at its core. The kiss grew heated, hands became desperate. Half-conscious, Inuyasha's groggy mind ground to a confused halt when the door burst open.

"Keiko, breakfast's rea- ohmygodI'msorry," Coral's cheery voice stuttered a rushed apology before the slamming door left the demon's ears ringing.

Keiko giggled softly, gently stroking Inuyasha's abused ears while he grumbled darkly, 'Always fucking interrupted…'

His wilting excitement responded when she pulled him close again, and left a searing kiss on his lips, then left ear, then mate mark. Then, the girl smiled wickedly, "Alright, I'm starving." A soft rumble from her stomach agreed with its owner's declaration. Inuyasha groaned in frustration, pulling her into a tight, suffocating embrace.

"No." The voice was small and contrite. The young girl couldn't stop herself from stroking those drooping ears; glad she didn't have to gaze into his pouting face.

"Yes," she said as gently as she could. The demon holding her stilled, as if debating whether or not to release her. Finally, he relinquished his hold and she slid out of his grasp.

"I'll be down in a bit," Inuyasha said, a little gruffly, from under the covers. Keiko had the nerve to giggle lightly before leaving the room.

"I know…" her voice drifted back to him mockingly.

He lay there in bed for a moment or two more, body returning to baseline.  Finally, he huffed and rolled out of the soft covers and thumped down the stairs.  It wasn't the most pleasant sight in the world, coming down the stairs to a red-faced Coral and Merlin's glowing smile, reaching from ear to ear. Keiko laughed happily, stuffing mouthfuls of sausage and eggs while giving Kita an ear scratch. Inuyasha swiped the entire plate of links and over-easy eggs, plunking down into the couch cushions. He had very mixed feelings, and the morning's frustrations did nothing to quell the dissonance in his heart, looking upon the scene through the kitchen door. Merlin's staff, practically glowing with protective charms, leaned innocently against the counter. The giant, familiar boomerang stood ominously by the wall, and Kita was the spitting image of a miniature Kirara. Inuyasha didn't know how to handle the nostalgia, nor what the scene appeared to foreshadow

Keiko's voice caught and held his attention. "So, what happened, where did you get all these new toys?"

"From your employer apparently," Coral responded dryly. Keiko looked up in confusion.

"Wait, you guys know Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Merlin leaned against the table, tickling Kita under her chin. "We've been recently acquainted," he drawled casually, about to jump into the story of his and Coral’s last few months of hell.  Coral didn’t give him the chance.

"He filled us in a bit about your other spiritual duties and said that we are to help you," Coral said, always straight to the point.  “He trained us and gave us weapons and told us to prepare for ‘the storm ahead’.” Inuyasha snorted,  _ ‘Storm ahead my ass, try a frigging cataclysm. _ ’  

Coral sat down next to Keiko at the counter. "I know it was a secret, but it was really shocking to learn that you've been risking your life like this for the last year and a half!"

Keiko shrugged, "I've been pretty safe, Inuyasha's always protected me."

"Was that hole in his stomach from a demon attack?" Coral asked softly. Keiko squirmed a little. The three humans were startled by Inuyasha's voice as he returned to put the plates in the sink.

"No," his serious voice uncharacteristic of the dog demon, "that was from Naraku."

Kita jumped from the table and up to Inuyasha shoulder. He took a moment to pet the friendly kitten before returning his attention to Merlin and Coral. He gestured to the chairs.

"Sit," he said, "I figure Sesshoumaru didn't completely fill you in."

"Your brother told us to ask you," Merlin stated simply. Inuyasha snorted, 'That's so like Sesshy.'

"Guess he called you two out 'cause of Naraku's reappearance," Inuyasha started, taking a long breath before launching into his story. The two humans listened in awed silence. Keiko also sat quietly, rubbing the small scab where she'd been poisoned two nights earlier. She was grateful that her friends allowed her some space and rest the day before. She didn't know why Sesshoumaru had deemed it necessary to involve her friends, and was startled to learn they were reincarnated from Miroku and Sango of so many years ago.

Merlin's brow was deeply furrowed; pensiveness hung on his handsome face. He looked at Inuyasha, directly in his eyes. "So you're telling me, that we were once close friends."

The man before him nodded.

"And you're telling me that, once, we battled together against a demon of considerable power."

Another nod.

"And this battle was some epic clash of many great powers."

"Yeah."

"And, now, that same demon and same great powers and Coral and I have been brought back into this world?"

"Pieces fitting together now?" Inuyasha grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl. The room was silent as each individual registered the sense of inevitable calamity. Merlin, ever the verbose one, spoke to each in the room's sinking fears.

"We're going to have a battle of our lives," the newly awakened monk said, soft voice echoing loudly in the small room. "We're going to have a battle, in a confined, domed city, with several hundred million innocents surrounding us."

Both girls swallowed with audibly. The frown on Merlin's face etched deeper creases into his forehead. Meanwhile, Inuyasha idly fingered his rosary, no longer in possession of an appetite for the bright red fruit in his other hand.

Coral was visibly agitated. Battle, she could handle, better than most she was sure. But the ramifications of what Merlin had suggested, about the bystanders that will undoubtedly be caught up in the fight, the terrible possibility of damaging the Dome, the very structure that allowed them to live, the aftermath she knew she would not be able to face.

"What will we do?" she asked, helpless to fight where the current was taking them, but terrified to go with the flow.

Inuyasha straightened, "We will fight." Merlin looked to him quizzically, and then glanced at Coral, and finally Keiko.

"We will survive, and we will live." The rest of the room's occupants nodded. Trepidation still lived strongly in their eyes, but they also held confidence for this hanyou. This creature who had fought and bled for them before and was willing to do so again.

Later that night, Inuyasha cradled a trembling Keiko close to his heart.

"We will fight, and survive, and live," he whispered to her, thumb drawing lazy circles over her back to ease her anxiety, "We will live, and we will love. Eternity was created for you and me."

 

She felt him move. It was unmistakable. It was like a shift in the wind, and she saw the direction it now headed. A blackness so deep, he drew her in as much as the emanating evil pushed her away. He writhed, with anger, desire, hatred, yearning. Yet, he was strangely calm, methodical, sedate. Like a sleeping bear awaiting the spring thaw. Keiko shuddered, feeling him slumber, sensing his dreams. He was not his previous self, but stronger, deeper, blacker. He was not the explosive, sinister monster of her prior encounter. He had developed in the void and now he  _ was _ desire. And she was the object. Only she could sate him, only she could return him to peace.

He was reaching, outward, seeking her out. She sensed his long reaching tentacles, testing, probing. The snake, the boar, the rat. Even more will come, he can always spawn more. More, and more, and more, and more. Until he can have her. Until he can possess her. Until he can take hold of her and pull her back into the void with him, falling deeper and deeper and sinking further and further…

"Keiko!"

Her eyes snapped open, body tense and rigid. Inuyasha held her by the shoulders, his palms burned in reaction to her unconscious reflex to protect herself, trying to purify the evil that was seeking her soul. Keiko shuddered under his hands and Inuyasha relaxed his hold on her, pulling her closer to him.

"Everything's gonna be ok," he said,  _ 'Somehow _ …'

She swallowed exaggeratedly, pushing back the bile that had been building in her throat. "He's coming for me," she whimpered, "I'm the giver, and he's the taker, and he's coming for me."

"Shh... Shhh," Inuyasha cooed to her. The soft moonlight fought its way through the heavy curtains, bathing the room with an eerie white light. His eyes glowed a milky iridescent honey gold and the concern she saw in them calmed her heart.  _ 'You'll always be here _ ,' she thought, letting that knowledge sink into her mind and settle in her bones,  _ 'You'll always protect me, and keep me safe, and warm, and loved.' _

Keiko strained upwards, towards her support. Trembling soft lips pressed against his firm warmth. He took her fear and enveloped it within himself, pulled out her insecurities and let her meld with him, gaining his strength, his determination, his will.

With the rising heat, the desperation of her kiss heightened and pulled his head impossibly close to hers. Soft, gentle fingers fisted violently in his hair. Tears welled in her tightly shut eyes as she thought about how much she loved him, and how amazing his love for her was. The tightness in her chest contrasted drastically with how large and full her heart felt.

Inuyasha was not idle. He responded to her unspoken need and pulled her body close to his, every dip and curve in her body flush up against the hard planes of his chest. "Inuyasha..." Keiko started crying, hot conflicted tears. It seemed impossible that the enormity of her feelings for this man could possibly fit inside her small chest, and to cram it in seemed to spark fires of pain within her. It burned, to love this hanyou. And she loved him so, so dearly.

She didn't even notice that her night clothes were in shreds. All she knew were his hands. Rough, commanding, they ravaged her body like wildfire. Inuyasha was insatiable.

“I love you,” he told her, “I love you and I’ll never leave you.”

Keiko whimpered, her voice oddly weak compared to the strength with which she clutched her hanyou.  The tangle of sheets threatened to seal off motion and his claws tore through them while their hands discovered each other.  His lips left her face and traveled south. When they reached her chest, Keiko gasped to feel his mouth linger on her breast.  The heat erupted from his lips and splashed in a bright red flush across her chest and neck. The blood in her cheeks swam to the surface of her skin and felt like a wall a fire.  And then his tongue swept out. Keiko’s moan was loud and throaty, her entire body arched into him. It was electric. 

Inuyasha was elated.  Keiko, Keiko,  _ Keiko! _  Crouched over her body like a predator, he wrapped his strong arms under her and crushed her against his body.   _ ‘Smell her,’ _ his inner demon whispered,  _ ‘Taste her.  CLAIM her!’ _

She felt him at her entrance.  Her body was slick and ready but her heart was nervous.  ‘It’s supposed to hurt isn’t it? What if I can’t handle it?  How much is it going to hurt? Will he be able to fit?’

Then his hands.  They roved her body and pushed away all thoughts and fears.  She felt his lips on her brow, then her cheeks, capturing her lips with a fire that grew and grew until it obliterated everything.  Hands on her breasts, raking through her hair, burning lips on her neck and jaw, she barely noticed he had begun to enter her except for the heat that continued to spread outward from between her legs.  

Hot, fiery tingles.  Burning. Was it from the straining of her muscles as they reached towards him?  Aching to feel him? The flames burned. The burn hurt. It  _ HURT! _

Butterfly kisses fell over her face and Inuyasha’s voice rumbled deeply in his chest.  “Shhhh… I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please bear with me, I love you. I love you.”

Shuddering, Keiko quieted.  Her sharp cries of pain deflated into soft whimpers.  “Relax, Keiko,” Inuyasha ordered gently, “Relax and let me…”

Keiko’s legs went slack as she forced her mind to focus on the hanyou above her.  His touch, his voice, his love. The fire began to warm her again, began to engulf her mind again.

“…bring you over the edge with me…”  Inuyasha finished, his movements still torturously slow.  Hands everywhere. She couldn’t remember when everything changed but suddenly the pain no longer froze her immobile.  All there was, was fire. All thoughts left her mind as a series of fireworks tingled up and down her spine. Inuyasha ran his claws gently down her sides and left sparks of lightning in their wake.  A soft burn, a dull ache, it was still there but she could ignore it. She wanted  _ him _ .   _ All _ of him.   _ Now _ .

Inuyasha gasped when he felt her legs wrap around his waist.  Every time he took her virginity, it had always been a slow tender experience.  Keiko was not. She raked her nails across his back, leaving red welts criss-crossing over his shoulders and down his sides.  Sometimes gentle but frequently rough, her lips blazed trails along his neck and collarbone, leaving teeth marks and bright red ovals wherever they lingered.  Perhaps it was the scare of her nightmare that urged her to pull him desperately closer. Unable to resist when she gazed up at him, half-lidded eyes drunk and only seeing him, he finally gave way to what her legs were insisting and dropped his weight onto her heated core.

“Inu-aaaAAHH!” Even the sharpness of her deflowering felt somehow sweet and she rode through it with a desperate desire to reach Elysium.  The burn of her muscles as they arched upward repeatedly searching for the release his body promised as it pressed down upon her. It burned with a fire so sweet and the flames engulfed her with such a bittersweet, painful sort of pleasure.  Keiko’s thoughts bounced everywhere, her eyes glazed as they tried to anchor on something solid, permanent. Golden eyes. That’s what she focused on. That pair of golden, loving eyes that watched over her and held her captive and safe. The golden, fiery eyes that pierced through her flesh and bones and grabbed her soul.  They burned, hot and with a passion she knew was reserved only for her and that thought alone was enough to push her to the crest of the wave. 

…

A howl in the night woke Merlin with a sudden jerk.  His eyes snapped open and he found himself looking into the dark, shadowed face of his beloved girlfriend.  Even in the lack of light, he could tell what her facial expression was. Her blush was practically glowing in the dark and he chuckled, pulling her in for a long, heated kiss.

_ ‘… Inuyasha… You horny dog…’ _

… 

_ “Please remember these words Inuyasha.” _

_ The golden eyed hanyou twitched in his sleep.  A frown drew hard lines across his young face as the dream locked his mind in place.  The soft, urgent voice, so like her previous life, persistent, tenacious, and wise, pressed against his eardrums and he found himself unable to do anything but hang on every sound that voice made. _

_ “Remember these words.” _

_ Like a muscle, taut and trembling, his mind and ears strained to hear.  In fact, he strained so hard… _

“Agh!” Keiko rolled around to locate her lover.  A clawed hand appeared at the side of the bed and he hauled himself up.  The giggle alerted him to her wakefulness.

“Did you just fall out of bed Inuyasha?”

“Keh…” he said dismissively, returning to the sheets and wrapping his naked body around hers.  Keiko sighed contentedly, happily ignoring the rising sun to enjoy the warmth of this arms. Inuyasha’s mind did not join her in sleep, however.  Words, unbidden from many years ago echoed in his mind.

_ ‘Your wish may have been granted, but it wasn’t pure.  There will be ramifications for what you did. Search for her, Inuyasha, protect her, love her.  But most of all, be prepared to let her go when the time comes…’ _

Inuyasha’s arms tightened protectively around the smaller slight figure in bed with him.  He believed he had been faithful to Keade’s message, had surrendered his beloved to the harsh reality of time, again and again.  The frown on his face deepened as he tried to tie the confusing events of the past year together into a coherent picture. Then something else Keade had told him resonated back into the forefront of his mind.

_ ‘We are out of balance...’ _

_ … _

_ She had hovered in a state somewhere between living and dying for a few days.  She slept mostly, heedless of the activity around her, as the silver haired youth desperately tried to make her comfortable, mostly succeeding in just making more clamor and noise.  But she was happy, because he was there, and the growing fox child that gently held her old, wrinkled hand. The retired priest and his new bride, both tenderly watching over her as she began to slip away.  She couldn’t have asked for a better send off. Slipping again, she fell into the depths that were welcoming her to the other side. Flashes of imagery, her childhood, her sister.  _

_ Then… then she began to see other things.  Strange things. Shining boxes moving faster than any horse carriage rolling down a wide, flat ribbon.  Noise and horns cluttered the air. A flash of green and she saw something familiar… a young girl… Kagome!  Then another appeared. Keade paused, confused, another Kagome? No, Kikyou! My sister! Keade frowned, disoriented by the rocking motion in the small room she peered into.  A boat. This is not my sister, and this is not Kagome. This was another incarnation! As quickly as that image appeared, it disappeared, followed by another Kagome. This time they were in a dark place, smoky and pungent with the smells of meat and fur and skins.  That faded and there was another Kagome.  _

_ Keade’s eyes glazed slightly at the whirlwind of images.  No… she mustn’t lose focus. Forces at work were purposefully showing her these scenes and she must remember them.  Pulling the slipping remnants of her usually sharp and wise mind together, she began to sense a trend. The cycle she was witnessing, it wasn’t a cycle… it was a spiral.  Spiraling further and further, wilder and wilder. Then terrible things appeared before her. Explosions, blood, pain, and death. What was happening?  _

_ A jarring crash yanked her out of the trance.  Blearily opening tired eyes, she saw Shippou scowling angrily at the other side of the hut.  With some effort, she turned towards the culprit behind the noise. _

_ “Inuyasha!” Shippou scolded, “Is it really too much for you to BEHAVE?!” _

_ Keade quieted the responding growl by groaning softly.  He was beside her in an instant. _

_ “What is it?  What do you need?  Are you hurting? Do you need anything?  Fire? Water? Food? I can…” _

_ “Inuyasha…” she heard her own voice silence him, startled by the weariness in it, “Inuyasha, I must tell you…” _

_ The dog-eared boy knelt down beside her.  With more gentle tenderness than she’d ever seen from him, he asked quietly, “What is it, Keade obaasan?” _

_ She would almost feel the surprised reactions from everyone present.  But she wasn’t surprised. No, she knew his heart was twice as gentle and twice as kind as most other people.  She even felt a small twinge of jealousy towards Kagome for winning the heart of such an individual. But she pushed that aside for her had a greater task at hand, explaining to Inuyasha why one day, he will not only lose the mortal girl to Time, but he will lose her soul to Fate. _

_ “Please… remember these words Inuyasha…  Remember these words: We are… out of balance...  Your… wish has been granted… you will see… your beloved again.” _

_ She smiled sadly as the hanyou’s ears perked up with hope and joy.  Catching her look, he scowled, “But what…?” _

_ “But it wasn’t pure,” she continued, “There… will be ramifications… for what you did.  Search for her, Inuyasha… protect her… love her... But most of all… be prepared to let her go… when the time comes…” _

_ Inuyasha nodded gravely, seeing that she wasn’t finished and waited patiently. _

_ “We…” Keade struggled to speak, every breathing was laborious, “We are out of… balance… We… Not just …” _

_ Her eyes stared into his, begging him to understand.  Her voice faded into rasps, then to nothing. His concerned golden eyes watched in panic as the weight of her body forced one final sigh, pressing out the soul that had lived there for so long.  She departed this world with his frantic voice in her ears. ‘Not just what? What…?! Oi, Baabaa! Oi!’  _

_ … oh, Inuyasha, what will we ever do with you… _

_ It would be another 700 years before she returned.  The shining metal boxes from her last visions grumbled around her as she was led through the city by her mother of this lifetime.  Her young gifted eyes caught a flash of silver, and a young man emerged from the crowd, almost passing by her. Not thinking, she reached out and grabbed his sleeve on a desperate impulse.   _

_ Time froze for a moment and she stared up at the tall figure, breath caught in her little throat.  When she returned to herself, her mother was frantically making apologies to the young man, not sure what had gotten in her daughter for suddenly reaching out to touch a stranger.   _

_ “He’s not a stranger, Mama,” she’d told her mother, “He’s Inuyasha.” _

_ The stoic face opened in surprise.  He’d taken off his sunglasses to take a closer look at her face.  Glancing back at her mother, he smiled jovially to put the anxious woman at ease before turning his attention back to the little freckled girl. _

_ “Got business with me?” he asked.  His voice thrilled her. It hadn’t changed.  It was the same voice she heard in her dreams.  She boldly leaned on his shoulder, inching closer so that her face was beside his head, next to the dog ears she knew hid under the hat he wore.  _

_ “Remember these words,” she whispered.  She felt his body tense and she knew she had his attention.  “We are out of balance. Your wish may have been granted, but it wasn’t pure.  There will be ramifications for what you did. Search for her, Inuyasha, protect her, love her.  But most of all, be prepared to let her go when the time comes…” _

_ The young man she leaned on squirmed in discomfort but she continued, heedless of her mother’s calls to leave him alone.  “We are out of balance. Not just the forces of time and space, which had been bent so out of shape for your mission with Kagome.  You must be prepared to lose everything, body, life and soul. You will reach a breaking point, a point at which this cycle you’ve created cannot continue.  It will mean the end of your journey… the end of Kagome’s as well.” _

_ … _

The next time she returned to consciousness, the metal boxes had been exchanged for strange, transparent, globular contraptions she couldn’t make heads or tails of.  Her memory was more fragmented this time around, but she retained enough to know she would have an important role in this lifetime. And so she remained vigilant, keenly aware of her surroundings, always watchful of the signs pointing out her destiny in this new world…

… 

There was a loud, squawking ruckus in the hallway.  A loud bellowing voice shouted curses and amused eyes narrowed a hair at the hanyou encroaching on his private chambers.

“… and I can fucking visit my fucking brother whenever I damn well please so FUCK OFF!”

The doors were blown opened, one settling slight ajar as the temperamental boy’s fist knocked the door off one of its hinges.  Jaken’s sweating wrinkled head huffed indignantly before turning to his lord.

“Forgive me, Lord Sesshoumaru.  Inuyasha is here to see you…  _ without appointment _ .”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, bite me,” Inuyasha jeered, before lightly shoving the old toad out the door with his foot.  Sesshoumaru sat at his desk, stone still, watching the entertainment play out before him. Finally, he rose.

“Welcome half-brother, what spectacular event has brought you here of your own accord?”  Sesshoumaru had a very strong inkling of that that event might be, but he played out the game a little more.  It was a baffling surprise to receive the professionally prosed letter requesting the immediate removal of Keiko from his employment.  His response was an increase in exorcism assignments, each growing more and more lethal. He smiled inwardly, ‘I’m sorry, esteemed father, but frustrating my half-brother is a hallmark I am loathed to part from’.  He could clearly see his father’s exasperated expression shaking with barely contained mirth. It hadn’t even been his intention to throw the ancient group of friends into the rising peril, it was Keiko’s awakening as Kagome the night Naraku appeared that attracted so many more determined demons to her soul.  

But he knew it wasn’t this that brought Inuyasha here before him.  No, it was a much darker shadow. Naraku had grown far more powerful than even he would care to admit.  Why the conglomerate of castaway, stray demons had risen from its rest was a mystery, but he knew it had something to do with Kagome and Inuyasha.  So, despite his younger brother’s protests, he thrust his young employee out into the battlefield, intent on drawing out the dark demon’s lustful attention.

The growl Inuyasha started when he entered the room grew louder and louder and the half demon finally shouted, “You know damn well why I fucking dragged myself out here to this fucking hell hole.  Stop fucking putting Keiko in danger, you god damned fucking asshole!”

A vein on Sesshoumaru’s forehead bulged in reaction to the spittle splattering on his face.  He moved to walk out from behind his desk, eyes more serious than their earlier mirth filled light.  

“Inuyasha,” Sesshoumaru started, “You know it is necessary to send her out like this.”

The growl was deep and primal in his throat as his anger rose to hum in the base of his ears.  “The fuck does that mean?”

“Naraku is among us again,” the lord said, “and the monk and taijiya have reprised their original roles-“

“Keh, thanks to your meddling…”

Sesshoumaru continued on, ignoring his brother.  “All the signs are pointing to one thing. You will fight Naraku again.  And I do not know the outcome.”

Something in his voice or posture made Inuyasha pause.  There was trepidation in his older brother’s eyes. Excitement as well, anticipation.  

“This goes beyond you and your mate,” Sesshoumaru said quietly, for he’d long ago learned that the easiest way to make Inuyasha shut up was to force him to strain his ears and listen.  From the corner of his eyes, he would tell he had Inuyasha hanging on his every sound. 

“We have all reached a breaking point.  You know this cycle cannot continue.”

His brother’s choice of words brought pause to the otherwise impulsive hanyou.  Hadn’t he heard a similar warning before?

“The world is collapsing on itself,” Sesshoumaru continued, “I do not yet know what part you and the miko will play, but it must be carried out soon.  Even the demon realm is being polluted by the events happening amongst the humans. You and Kagome must bring us back to balance. It is the very reason for your existence.”

Inuyasha hated when his brother was cryptic like this.  But he knew Sesshoumaru was being serious. Thinking back to his original reason for coming here, he huffed unhappily.

“At least give us a break, will ya?  Coral almost lost her arm in the last attack and Merlin’s beside himself.”  And Keiko was almost suicidal, Inuyasha said in his mind. She didn’t have to tell him, he could see.  The nightmares were getting worse and dark circle betrayed how little sleep she got. She was at the very edges of her tolerances.  Every battle brought her closer and closer to the edge and Inuyasha struggled more and more to coax her back from that precipice. 

The demon lord let out an uncharacteristic sigh.  “Go back to you mate, brother. She needs you now, more than ever.”

Inuyasha’s eyes darted up, could his brother read minds now?  With a swift nod and a sidelong glance, he started to head for the door, interrupted when Sesshoumaru’s voice pierced the silence once more.

“You will have 2 weeks reprieve.  Rest well.”

 


	6. Extra:  My Father's Footsteps

**My Father’s Footsteps**

~Kitty

* * *

 

His father had always been a somber creature, having grown up and matured in an age even stricter than his own.  A silent presence that commanded respect, obedience, and fear. Fear. Thinking back now, he realized that there was never a need to fear his father.  For all his serious features and monstrous strength, he never truly acted out in anger, or rage, or impulse. His father was always in control. Of his realm, of his people, and of himself.

In hindsight, Sesshoumaru realized why events occurred the way they did.  A gentle demon with unparalleled strength, feared and isolated, even among his own kind, had met another gentle creature of unwavering strength.  The human maiden may not have had the physical power his father or demon mother possessed, but she had a different virtue, one even more powerful than sheer physical force: a strong, wise, and clever mind.

That was what drew him, like his father, to that young human maiden with such strong tolerance in such a cruel world.  Her fearless, observant, intuitive spirit compelled him like no other being had before; not even the strong will of his brother had touched him the way this small child had.  In fact, it was her fragility that captured him. This contradiction of strength and weakness bundled together, he was lost from the moment he first saw her.

She was older now, blossoming from delicate human child to confident young woman.  Her eyes were clear, her mind reflective. Despite her mortal lifespan, she was among the wiser, more insightful beings he knew.  Try as he might, he could not bar her from the politics of his kingdom, and soon she became his most trusted confidant in all his businesses.  She was his adviser, his teacher, his heart. A reminder of lessons long forgotten from his father. That mercy and kindness could be even more powerful than brute force.  

“My Lord Sesshoumaru!” a happy voiced called from the corridor, “I heard you have returned!”

Alone in his private chambers, Sesshoumaru’s stature shrank a few inches as he sighed.  No one, not even Jaken, saw this side of the demon lord. Only Rin.

He barely had time to set aside his swords before the young woman barreled into him, laughing.  She snuggled deeper into the folds of his clothes as his clawed hand came to rest on her shoulder.  Outside, he would have forbidden such familiarity. In front of others, it was forbidden to behold the lord embracing the only person he cherished more than his pride.  But in the privacy of his home, in the small collection of private rooms reserved for his young charge, Sesshoumaru dropped his mask of sobriety and smiled for her.

It was always difficult to hold her.  An embrace betrayed much more than he could ever allow himself to express.  And it was getting harder.

He wondered how she would feel to know the wolf that lived inside the dog.  A hunger he’d never felt before had begun to gnaw at him somewhere behind his ribs.  When he first noticed her scent changing, he’d ordered Jaken to send her away, back to some human village so that she can flourish among her own kind.  It hadn’t taken long for her absence to be felt. He’d expected it, after all, a vibrant child like this would obviously leave a deafening silence once she’d gone.

What he hadn’t expected was just how deeply he’d feel the hollow void she left behind.  It was no mere silence that spread in the castle. A strange, icy, desperate ache crept into his heart.  Day by day it grew and grew. He’d weathered storms before, challenges that would test his self-discipline and fortitude.  And so he parried through the strange new emotion, convinced that he would conquer it in due time. Not so. Deepening with each passing week, finally, the prideful lord decided to pay a visit to the human child’s new village.  ‘Just to see how she was getting on,’ he’d told himself.

He hadn’t intended to step out from the tree line.  He would only observe her, confirm for himself that she’d safely adjusted back into life with her own kind.  But then he saw her. A bright new kimono with another male’s scent on it. A young man at her side, holding a basket of flowers she was filling.  They spoke seriously, loud enough for him to hear, but the thrumming in his ears prevented him from making out the words.

Later he would learn that she was speaking of him.  He would learn that she was confessing to the human male that her heart was already spoken for.  That even if he abandoned her, she would still hold him inside her heart.

But that would all occur later.  

Before he realized what he was doing, his feet had broken from the shadow of the trees.  Within a few breaths, he was before her, eyes fixated, nostrils flaring as he fought for control.  He didn’t need to.

Rin’s wide eyes quickly filled with joyful tears before twisting into a heaving sob.  She hurled herself against his body, arms wrapping vice-like around his back. Shocked out of his jealous stupor, the demon lord nearly chocked on his own tongue as he realized just how close he was going into a rage over a small human woman.  

“Regain yourself, Rin,” he’d commanded softly.  A snort and a hiccup answered his request but she shuddered and took a step back.  The man she was with had the sense to step back. When Sesshoumaru’s eyes flicked over to him, the young man gulped then set down the basket of flowers, backing away quickly with his hands up.  A soft, meek voice immediately caught his attention.

“Have you come to take me home, My Lord?”

_ My _ Lord.   _ My  _ Lord Sesshoumaru.  He’d never noticed before, that special way she addressed him.  A soft spoken claim, so subtle and sweet, and so daring. No matter who else may address him in that phrase, her saying suddenly meant something very different.  His hand squeezed her shoulder and he replied softly, so low it vibrated through her and made her shiver.

“Yes, Rin.  I’ve come to take you home.”

Months had passed since he’d recollected his human girl-child.  Rumors spread through the castle that he was following in his father’s footsteps.  It was a work in progress to tamp down the stirring gossip and quite a few well publicized battles to reinforce his strength kept him busy at first.  Things settled down and time began to pass more slowly. That was when the hunger started. It was a nameless hunger, and Sesshoumaru could only described it in terms of what it was not.  It was not a hunger for flesh, it was not thirst, or lust. It was not an itch that required a firm scratch nor a restlessness that needed exercise. All Sesshoumaru was able to figure was that it growled for attention most strongly in Rin’s presence.  

The hunger was followed by nighttime dreaming, quickly followed by daytime dreams.  A soft scent of cherry blossoms in the morning air, or a gentle sunray alighting on his arm.  Whatever the trigger, the fantasy was always the same. He wanted to crush her. And it terrified him more than he could ever admit.  

Residing in his single arm was more strength that a hundred men.  And in his dreams, he took all that strength and crushed her against his body, smothered her into his shoulder, raking her hair with his claws.  And yet the hunger still craved more. 

“My Lord Sesshoumaru?” her voice called to him.  He looked down into her soft, delicate face. Her eyes pierced through him and he wondered how much she knew of his inner struggle.

“My Lord Sesshoumaru, is something wrong?”  Rin stepped back, hands sliding to his armor.  Practiced fingers deftly untied the straps and slid the hard plates off.  Sesshoumaru caught her hands as they moved away. She stared up at him, assessing.  Her eyes were bright and clear and concerned. Then she smiled. It was coy, and sly, and a little smug all at the same time.  

“The cook has made the most delicious dish this evening,” she said, changing the subject so quickly, Sesshoumaru’s usually quick mind creaked in order to follow the change in direction.  “You should try it. And tonight the sky is very clear and there is a very bright full moon…”

She disappeared into one of the rooms.  His mind moved to follow her but it took considerable effort to convince his body.  The smile she gave him had rooted him to the spot and the hunger became a wild animal thrashing around in his chest, lashing at his heart.  For the first time in his life, he ran away from a challenge.

The next day, and the day after that.  For nearly three weeks, he avoided those room.  Rin was by no means confined to them, but she was easy enough to avoid out in the open.  If anyone found it odd that their lord was no longer seen followed by that young human girl, they wisely stayed silent.  And Rin was wise too. She knew what caused him to run from her. And she knew it would unfailingly draw him back to her.  So she spent her lonely days meeting and greeting Sesshoumaru’s subjects, taking long soothing walks with Jaken, and petting Ah and Un.  And every evening, she waiting in their inner chambers for her demon lord to return to her.

One dark night, when the moon hid from sight and the stars shone brightly without competition, the hungry beast within his chest finally drove him into her chambers.  He entered the large entrance hall and paused, observing the silence. No pitter patter of small feet rush out to greet him, and for a moment, his heart froze in fear that perhaps he’d angered her by his cold treatment.  Swallowing around his trepidation, he quietly removed his armor and swords, gliding forward as confidently as he could. 

She was sitting quietly in her room, gazing out into the starry night, a reflective, peaceful tone in her eyes.  She didn’t move right away, but he was sure he saw a change in her face when he entered. Then slowly, she turned to face him.

“Good evening, My Lord Sesshoumaru,” she said calmly.  It even eased the hunger inside of him a small fraction, before returning full force.  

Trying to stay calm, desperately controlling the hungry desire battling for freedom inside him, Sesshoumaru stalked forward, stopping right in front of her.  From this distance, he could hear her heart beating, it was fast, practically buzzing with excitement. he barely had time to register its significance, that she, despite her façade of calm, was also battling something within herself.  She apparently decided it was time to set the animal free, and she obeyed her inner urgings and launched herself at the demon, arms firms pressing him to her with as much might as her fragile human muscles would allow. 

“You want this too, don’t you My Lord?” he heard her whisper into his chest.  “Please tell me I’m not the only one feeling the hunger.”

“What sort of hunger?” he asked coolly, even as his single hand moved to pull her back even closer to himself.

“A hunger… a hunger for love, to feel love, to be loved,” she started babbling, her peaceful veneer peeling away to reveal a desperate desire she’d long held in check.  “I love you, My Lord. I don’t even care if it troubles you. I love you and I want you to love me and I want to be close to you, closer than even physically possible. Closer than even the limits of our bodies can allow.”

His control slipped gradually, but he was still amazed by the fierceness of his downfall.  The hand on her moved upwards to her head and he used his arm to press her close to him. Trying hard to remember to allow her to breath, he ran his claws through her hair, reveling in the soft silkiness, and the delicious tremors that shivered through her body.  And finally, he did something he hadn’t done since his teething days, in a dark den, with only his mother to bear witness.

Tears sprang to his eyes and it took all his will power to keep them there.  Rin’s tears flowed freely down her checks and into his clothing. A pitiful whine in the back of his throat erupted into the space around them, and then another.  As he inhaled deeply, her scent filled his entire being and he began to shake, losing to instinct, no longer capable of forming words. 

Rin seemed to understand, for although she didn’t receive a verbal answer to her request to be loved, she knew she had received it.  His plaintive whining, then a lick. A lick? Under her chin and almost enough to snap her out of the moment in a barely suppressed fit of laughter.  

They clung to each other for a long while.  Neither understood the chemistry behind their actions, how touch between individuals released hormones to their blood.  All they knew was the joy of one another’s embrace, the release to simply hold and be held. Sesshoumaru felt the hungry beast within him settle down into a contented purr and finally began to understand how a proud, powerful demon lord could be captured so completely by a small, delicate, strong willed human woman.  

… 

As each cycle began anew, it was difficult not to think of her.  Every hundred or so human years would pass and the winds would shift, heralding her return to the living.  The next reincarnation. From his ivory tower in the demon dimension, he’d watch his younger brother journey through the ordeal once more.  Patiently waiting for her to grow, rediscovering the passion between them, and then tortuously carrying her through her autumn years. And every cycle, he would be reminded of his Rin.  The hunger in him could be rekindled by the slightest reminder. Usually stalling as a cold, deep ache, the hunger was voracious when awakened. Her death may have been the first time he’d wept since reaching adulthood, but it was not the last.  On anniversaries, on moonless nights, there were times, even in the last hundred years when the pain was so sharp, he’d curled into a tight ball in his chambers and wept piteously, using his own claws to distract himself from the loneliness and grief.

Now with the resurfacing of old allies and enemies alike, a small weak corner of Sesshoumaru’s heart couldn’t help but search for her.  Miroku, Sango, Naraku, even Keade had returned (though now at 114 years old, she stayed in a hospital bed on the other side of the domed city).  Breezes and whispers tickled his senses and he was hypertuned to anything that might signal her arrival.

‘She was so young, during Inuyasha’s search for the jewel,’ he would remind himself, ‘She may yet be reborn today, this very moment.’

But something else stopped him from carrying on further with this hope, this fantasy.  An eerie hunch that existed on the periphery. That maybe, just maybe, her purpose had already been served, for she was the one that prepared him to be become what he was today, a wiser, gentler demon lord capable of being the Guardian of Time.  

It is a realization he had yet to accept.  However it continued to hover, a reluctant truth that inched slowly closer.  But for now, no. Sesshoumaru would cling to the hope that she would return, just as his father clung to his human female, with a desperation he just couldn’t quite hold in check.


	7. Chapter 5

A/N: Warning – this is not exactly a happy ending… there, I said it, now if you’re ok with that, read on.

* * *

 

**Alternative Ending V**

By Kitty

* * *

 

A two week vacation was a double edged sword in many ways.  First of all, being off duty meant that someone else had to guard the shrine and Keiko’s soul.  AhUn and his posse of dragons were not a welcome presence. At least, not in Inuyasha’s opinion.  The dragon had grown into a very prideful creature, and the girls absolutely fawned over the thing.  Even Merlin began to join Inuyasha at the God’s Tree, waiting for the girls to stop their attentions on the exotic creature.

On the other hand, it gave Inuyasha an opportunity he hadn’t had in centuries.

“They still petting the overgrown lizard?” Inuyasha asked derisively.

“Mmm…” Merlin responded noncommittally.  Inuyasha waited. Miroku could never stay quiet for long, and neither could Merlin, always eager to share his nuggets of wisdom.  Soon enough, it came.

“What are your thoughts, Inuyasha?” Merlin began, lofty and ambiguous as usual.

“Thoughts on what, perv?” Inuyasha responded, unable to resist the familiar jibe.  Merlin ignored it and clarified.

“The situation with Keiko’s soul,” Merlin said, “Surely, you’ve developed a theory or two regarding it.”

Inuyasha took a deep breath through his nose.  Keiko was getting a ride on AhUn again, that blasted mongrel.  Coral was in the house, presumably napping and allowing her arm to recover.  As he let out a deep sigh, Inuyasha opened his eyes to gaze up at the artificial sun.

“Let’s see,” he began, “we covered Shikon no Tama, Kikyou, and Kagome right?”

Merlin got himself comfortable, seated at the shady base of the old tree, scratching his chin. “Yes, you filled us in up to completing the Shikon no Tama, Naraku being sealed within the jewel, and Kagome being sent back to the future after overcoming the battling demons inside the jewel… and-”

“And I made a wish to live long enough to find her again,” Inuyasha interrupted, finishing for his friend. Merlin rolled his eyes at Inuyasha’s impatience and nodded.

After a brief silence, Inuyasha spoke softly, “Why do souls get reborn?”

Merlin looked up at the figure in the tree.  A shapeless mass of red plaid and denim among the thick branches.  Speaking carefully, he constructed an answer for the hanyou.

“Well, presumably, Kagome was reborn in order to complete the task that Kikyou was unable to finish.”

Suddenly, Inuyasha was beside him.  Merlin very nearly leaped out of his skin at the sudden change of position.  The demon’s stance was agitated and tense.

“Souls are reborn when there is something they have to do, some unfinished business,” Inuyasha said, glaring at the ground with such intensity, Merlin was sure he saw a stalk of grass shiver under the scrutiny.  Bringing his focus back to the half-demon, he inquired.

“So you believe Keiko’s constant reincarnation has to do with some unfinished business?”

Merlin imagined smoke beginning to rise from the withering stare Inuyasha was giving the ground.  

“What is this unfinished business Keiko needs to do?” 

Inuyasha shifted his angry eyes to Merlin, “You’re the philosophical one, you tell me.”

Before Merlin’s eyes, Inuyasha deflated to desperation.

“You tell me,” he repeated, “Why does Keiko’s soul keep reincarnating?  Why don’t I age anymore? And why the FUCK is Keiko’s soul getting targeted by every god damn fucking youkai?”

Inuyasha’s desperation was so moving, Merlin found himself reaching out to his friend and squeezing the tense shoulder.  The motion seemed to steady Inuyasha and he heaved another great sigh.

“It’s because I fucked up, isn’t it?” he asked no one in particular.  “It’s because of that damned wish I made.”

Merlin waited for Inuyasha to continue.  When the silence drew longer, he probed gently, “What exactly happened at the end of your quest all those years ago?”

A scuffling sound from the direction of the house drew both men’s attentions.  Instantly, Merlin’s attention left the agitated dog hanyou beside him and focused on the figure approaching them.  Coral stretched slowly, first one arm, then another, flexing her hands and wrist to test the newly healed bone. Merlin was beside her in an instant.

“How was your nap, darling,” he asked.  Inuyasha snorted, embarrassed by the intimacy between his two friends.  AhUn touched down with Keiko beside them, drawing Inuyasha to push off from the tree he leaned on to join his mate.

“That demon shit is ridiculous,” Coral was saying, cracking her knuckles and limbering up.  Inuyasha pulled Keiko off of AhUn’s back, discreetly snuffling against her neck before setting her down.  He caught AhUn eyeing him and he had to resist the urge to stick his tongue out to the scaly beast. 

“I’m gonna make something to eat I think,” Coral said, heading back for the house.  Merlin followed her like a faithful dog. Keiko sighed as she watched the pair go, stretching her neck this was and that.  Inuyasha put his thumbs to work at the base neck, idly noting the sound of a vehicle approaching the shrine.

...

The old woman’s hand clutched her walking cane so tightly, her knuckles were white.  But it wasn’t fatigue that brought about this death grip. It was excitement. She paused on her ascent up the long staircase and looked up, at the barest hint of green that peeked over the top of the hill.   _ ‘Hello, old friend,’ _ she greeted the ancient tree in her mind.  As if in response, its branches waved down at her against a gentle gust of wind.  Sighing, she settled herself back down in her chair, decidedly happier with this era’s inventions for mobility, and commanded the little hovering blue blob to continue forward.

In the courtyard at the top of the stairs, two fluffy white ears went rigid, almost trembling as the rest of his stiff body worked out what he was sensing.

“What’s the matter Inuyasha?” Keiko asked, always observant and sensitive to his reactions.  He could hear anxiety spring up in her voice and quickly moved to ease her fear of yet another demon attack.  

“It’s not a demon,” he said quickly, an arm reaching for her and pulling her against his body.  “Someone’s coming. Someone familiar.”

“Who is it?”  Worry was still strong in her voice and he turned his attention from the approaching presence to focus on her.  Nuzzling his nose into her neck, he huffed softly to let his breath tickle the sensitive nerves under her jawline.  Finally, she giggled, music to his ears.

“Someone you’ll like a lot.  A sister when you were Kikyou, a grandmother when you were Kagome.”

AhUn moved towards the stairs to scrutinize the visitor.  Keiko turned her attention to the edge of the stairs, eyes widening to see the old gray head appear.  Rushing over to her, Keiko greeted the old woman.

“Let me help you, grandmother,” Keiko said.  Her sense of ease from simply seeing the woman bathed Inuyasha’s heart with relief.  Inuyasha took a breath, bringing back his crusty personality in order to greet the old woman appropriately.

“My goodness, child,” Kaede said, her voice old and creaky, “You certainly bear remarkable likeness each time.”

Keiko smiled gently at her while Inuyasha stepped up.

“Long time no see, baabaa.”

“Inuyasha!” Keiko exclaimed in shock.  Kaede just laughed. Some things will never change.  

“Quit calling her baabaa, ya big meanie!” another familiar voice sounded from the stairs.  A bright orange head popped up. Shippou came marching toward them, arms laden with bags and suitcases.

“Waitaminute,” Inuyasha said, taken aback, “What’s all this?”

“We’re all moving in with you!” the fox demon exclaimed happily, “it will be like old times!”

“What?!”

Determining that the newcomers were no threat, the two headed dragon lifted off the ground to patrol the rest of the shrine’s extensive grounds.  Kaede took a moment to admire the powerful creature before returning her attention to those before her.

“Ah, yes,” Kaede said in response to Inuyasha’s obvious ire, “Your brother told me to give you this.”

Inuyasha snatched the paper from her hands.  To the unknowing onlooker, his behavior appeared rough, but everyone in the temple yard saw the care he took in keeping his claws away from her old skin, and the protective stance he bore as he stood next to her.  

The ensuing growl, however, he took no such care to hide.

“Fuck,” he said unceremoniously.  Tossing the paper in Keiko’s general direction, he hefted a share of the baggage, and stomped towards the house.  Keiko managed to catch the fluttering leaflet and read the contents.

_ Kagura will come with instructions. Prepare to engage the enemy. _

_ Lord Sesshoumaru _ _   
_ _ Ruler of the Western Lands _ _   
_ __ Master of all the Demon Realms

“Huh?” Keiko said.  It took very little time for her imagination to start spinning.  Anxiety began to snowball unchecked in her heart. She turned when Kaede placed a gentle hand on hers.

“Let us go inside,” the old woman suggested, “I’m eager to see Miroku and Sango.  Oops, that is not how they are called now. What are their names in this era?”

Keiko smiled as she led Kaede into the house, “Miroku is called Merlin, and Sango is Coral.  My name is Keiko.”

Shippou shifted his bags as he moved to follow them.  He’d told Chère to return to the demon realm, to their home den.  Something Sesshoumaru said irked him, not in what he said, but the tone of it.  When he’d been summoned to escort Kaede to the Higurashi Shrine, there was a tone of finality and farewell that lurked in the crevasses on his finely controlled voice.  Shippou shuddered, wishing to have his mate in his arms, for a final kiss, one last embrace. He followed the group into the house, emotions battling somewhere between excited nostalgia, and dread.

Coral’s arm had mended quickly, aided by an urgent need to make sure Merlin didn’t worry himself sick and some very potent balms from the demon world, and so she was able to embrace the old woman, who felt so familiar to her.  Merlin, too, felt the same knot of familiarity in his chest and was eager to discuss her thoughts on the current happens the group had experienced. He too opened his arms to embrace her like an old friend but she fixed with a hard glare that warned him backwards one or two steps.

“Are your hands as perverted in this life as they were in your past?” That had the whole room rolling in laughter, even Inuyasha couldn’t hold back toothy smile. Merlin struggled with a reply that would not be offensive to anyone present.  

Kaede’s presence was a grounding force for the young people in the house.  Before anything could be discussed, a full meal was to be prepared, everyone was to help out, and the group was treated to a real home cooked meal for the first time in a while.  As a result of the exhaustion from their regular assignments, it was difficult to motivate anyone to shop for groceries or make real food.

“Now children,” Kaede said once the dishes were put away, “we have a great deal to discuss, have we not?”

Keiko placed a steaming cup of tea in each person’s hand and sat down beside Inuyasha, leaning into his warmth.  He placed a protective arm around her and waited for Kaede to continue.

“Do you remember my words, Inuyasha?”

All eyes turned to the hanyou and he shifted uncomfortably.  

“Ya mean the stuff about being out of balance and reaching a breaking point?”

Kaede nodded, “You have reached that breaking point.  The cycle you’ve created cannot continue. The forces your wish have tampered with have held out long enough.  Like a dam, the wish you made has been holding them back until now, but when the dam breaks, disaster befalls us all.”

There was a shocked silence, then Inuyasha’s angry growl.

“You’re saying everything is my fault?”  Ears pinned flat against his head, Inuyasha’s voice cracked embarrassingly as his greatest fears seemed to be validated, “Keiko’s soul getting eaten is my fault?  Whatever ‘end of the world’ cluster fuck everyone keeps hinting at is all my fault?”

“Nay,” Kaede said gently, trying to ease the panic she saw in his open, earnest face.  Keiko also joined in, placing a calming hand on his thigh, saying, “My soul’s not eaten, Inuyasha”.

“Nope, not at all,” a new voice joined the group.  Kagura walked through the door and planted a hand at her hip, standing behind the old woman.  Startled heads snapped to assess the newcomer.

“You only wanted to  _ be _ with Kagome.  You didn’t  _ mean _ to force her soul into an endless cycle of reincarnation.  You didn’t  _ mean _ to make a corrupt wish that would eventually lead the world into decay.  You didn’t  _ mean _ to put the souls of all those around you in jeopardy.” Kagura continued, carelessly ignoring the death threat behind his eyes as he glared at her.

Keiko turned to remove Inuyasha’s teacup and tried to calm him down.  Ultimately, Kaede saved Kagura’s head by interjecting.

“The initial trigger occurred many years before the two of your met, Inuyasha,” Kaede said gently.

“There are much greater forces at work.  The two, no, four of you,” Kaede said, glancing at Merlin and Coral, “were just leaves floating on a current.  But you now have come to a turning point that you must face together.”

“Which is why I’m here,” Kagura interrupted again.  “Here’s your new gear…” she said, lifting from out of nowhere, several wrapped packages, one for each of them onto the living room table.

“And as for instructions, His very high highness, has assigned duties to each of you.  The main goal is to destroy Naraku – he’s hiding somewhere in the sub sub sub basement of this dome, recovering from the miko’s little purifying blast.  She’s mostly likely the only one powerful enough to do it, but you need a very powerful spell. That’s what you’ll learn from baabaa over here,” Kagura waved her fan carelessly at the old woman.

“That’s Kaede obaasan to you, baabaa,” both Shippou and Inuyasha growled, surprising each other with their identical reactions.  Kaede, for her part, laughed with the rest of the amused party. Kagura didn’t miss a beat.

“Inuyasha, no surprise, you protect Kagome.” 

“It’s Keiko, bitch!”

“And Sango and the perv handle all the gremlins Naraku undoubtedly will send to divert you all,” Kagura finished without missing a beat, “Any questions?”

“Yes,” Merlin jumped in, stalling Inuyasha’s ire at the wind demon, “What’s the backup plan?”

Kagura turned red eyes to the recently awakened monk.  Her face grew surprisingly somber as she replied.

“Death, to everyone.  The planet you humans have messed up is completely uninhabitable.  If you fail here, you fail life on the entire planet.”

The room was somber and silent for a long while after Kagura left. Keiko traced the lip of the tea cup she held, breathing shallowly.

“Don’t be so forlorn,” an old voice cut through the thick trepidation, “You can yet influence this developing storm.  Do what you can and trust in each other.”

The young faces turned to the elderly woman, who sat so calmly in her hovering chair.  Kaede smiled at them all. “Now… This won’t do,” she said warmly, “My young people, you have always triumphed in the face of adversity, believe me, I know.  Your stories will not end here, I can assure you of that.”

“Lady Kaede,” Merlin began, startling Kaede with how similar he sounded to Miroku, “You seem to have a much sharper recollection of our previous lives than any of us has… Why is that?”

“Ahh, you have always been a sharp one,” Kaede said approvingly, “Yes, I do not know why but my memories from the past remain intact.  I believe it is because my purpose is to be a guide to you all in this life.”

“And don’t forget,” Shippou chimed in, “Inuyasha and I lived through it all.”

Keiko felt Inuyasha’s hands flex as they enveloped her arms.  She leaned against his strength, relaxing. The rest of the night was spent reminiscing about old times, recounting tales and lessons learned.  The conversation was punctuated with quips, “once a lecher, always a lecher” and “so having a complex over previous incarnates is a thing for us, huh Inuyasha?” often followed by a begrudging “Keh”.

The night grew long and eyes grew sleepy.  Inuyasha laid Keiko down to bed, glad that she seemed to sleep peacefully tonight.  The hanyou himself was restless. The wind howled persistently outside, he could feel the urgency in its call. 

“Not holding your mate tonight?” a voice from below called out. Inuyasha spared a glance downward toward his adopted son. Shippou’s face still held traces of his younger kit self and for a moment Inuyasha lost himself to memories.  

“I’ll go back inside soon,” he said, “I put my fire rat in the bed.”

Shippou leapt effortlessly onto the branch Inuyasha was perched on. Kagome always liked to sleep in the bright red robe.  She’d said it felt like Inuyasha was there, even if some business or other pulled him away from her. They watched over the small, familiar house for a short while in companionable silence.  Finally, Shippou spoke with a voice Inuyasha hadn’t heard in hundreds of years.

“I’m scared, papa.”

Inuyasha didn’t react for a moment, too stunned by the fox demon’s confession to know what to do or say. It had been a long time since his one experience in a father’s role, and he couldn’t claim to have taken naturally to it.  Raising Shippou on his own had been a long, consistent sequence of mistakes and a lot of fox fire shot at his face. Yet, despite all the hassles, the pair had bonded very tightly, almost brotherly, and it was rare for Shippou to reprise the bereft orphaned kit character he’d been on their first meeting.  

“Keh…” Inuyasha said uncomfortably. Shippou smiled crookedly, both comforted by the familiar reaction, and lonely.  Inuyasha never gave him much overt direction in life. He’d always lead by example. Shippou fell into his old habit of observing his cranky adopted father, noting the loose stature despite the obvious tension on his face.  It was the poise of resignation, a knowing of what was to come and the battle it would be. And an acceptance of that fate which he’d been granted. Shippou was familiar with the stance. He’d seen it many times, from below while Inuyasha stood watch in the trees, from the side while they sat together by a small fire.  From the front whenever they confronted each over some trifling matter. The fire of rebellion was no longer Inuyasha’s trademark. It was replaced by a gritty determination that could not be swayed. For some reason this comforted Shippou. Inuyasha wasn’t the reckless creature he’d grown to be before meeting Kagome. He’d maintain the iron will he’d always had but something of persevering patience had crept into his eyes. This was the face of a being that could survive the centuries, all the way into eternity, and it was the steady, reliable strength that Shippou and so many others clung to in the face of their enemy.

Shippou was startled when Inuyasha’s hand landed roughly on his head.  A rub, a light flex of the claws, then it was gone. Shippou looked up at his father figure.  Inuyasha didn’t look at him, didn’t acknowledge him, but the message was still very clear. He could feel tears welling in his eyes as Inuyasha leapt away, into the dark window to join his adopted mother.  That simple gesture conveyed enough thought to overflow in the normally spunky, mischievous demon’s heart.

_ ‘I am proud of you.  I will take care of you.  I love you.’ _

_ … _

Had it conscious thought, the slender grass at the base of the God’s Tree would be blushing furiously under the demon’s glare.  Inuyasha stood again under the familiar old tree and studied the ground. It had been a restless night, and though Keiko slept soundly, the half-demon couldn’t help but lie awake, frown creasing his forehead.  Questions floated through his mind, more insistently than ever before. And so, before the sun could rise, Inuyasha was up and outside, trying to craft some explanation to the riddle before him.

_ “What exactly happened at the end of your quest all those years ago?” _

He inhaled through his nose and let it out slowly, trying to will away the tension in his shoulders and jaw.  It was a few cycles in when Inuyasha first started to ask questions about his wish, why it had been - sort of - granted, and what it meant for those involved.  After a thousand or so years, some of the details were fuzzy, but the critical moment, the instant he made his wish, that came back to him with crystal clarity.

…

The darkness was oppressive, almost a physical presence, and it ground against the couple with an urgency, as if sensing it was about to be dispelled forever.  

“I’m tired,” her soft voice whispered into his chest, “Just let me rest for a little while.”

He held the small figure tighter to his chest.  “As long as you need me,” he replied.

“I always need you, Inuyasha,” she’d said, smiling into his chest. They were at a crossroads, and he knew it.  What they do in the next few moments would determine everything, make the past three years of blood, sweat, and tears worthwhile, or all for naught.

“What’s the answer?” he heard her ask, “What’s the wish that will make this jewel disappear?”

Within the nothingness that surrounded them, they both felt a shudder, as though the demons trapped inside the jewel could hear her whispered thoughts.  There was a scream that echoed hollowly in the void, determined not to be eradicated from the world. A thousand invisible hands were suddenly reaching for them, scratching at their skin, pulling them apart.  Inuyasha reached angrily for his blade, loosening his hold on the girl for the briefest instant. That was a mistake.

The sight before him was forever burned into his memory.  Black hands held her body, pulling her away. A vicious black hand clamped firmly across her mouth, forbidding her from speaking the words to end its existence.  Tears poured out of her terrified eyes as she struggled weakly to fend off the tentacles raking across her body. Inuyasha had nowhere to strike.

“Get your filthy hands off her!” With no ground beneath him, and emptiness surrounding him, Inuyasha had nothing to push off of, nothing to move him closer to her, to free her.  He desperately gripped the hilt of the Tetsaiga, screaming his rage as her image grew smaller and smaller. And then he sensed it.

It was soft, meek, like the first howls of puppy testing out his newfound voice.  The three winds of the three demon souls meeting each other in their eternal dance.  

_ “Aim for the fissure where they meet,” _ a voice near him commanded. Inuyasha jumped, hackles raised.  From beside him, the image of Midoriko smiled, touched his shoulder, and moved forward towards Kagome.   _ “I will shield her, now raise your sword.” _

Inuyasha didn’t need to be told twice.  He hefted the Tetsaiga, feeling it sing in response, and focused all his senses of that faint whisper until he could smell it, see it, feel the shape of the winds where they met one another. With a howl, he raised his blade, allowing his own demon energy to rush forward and collide, creating the wind scar he needed to launch his assault.  He’d never swung the Tetsaiga so quickly before, his muscles screamed at the inhuman feat. There was a loud crack, then a scream. When his eyes regained focus and he could take stock of his bearings, he realized he was falling, quickly, and in a panic, he grasped out at the air around him. 

“Inuyasha!” her voice reached him as a tattered scream.  He looked down below him and saw the little figure, free falling like him, towards the ground.  He couldn’t precisely say when the ground first appeared, but it rose up to them quickly. He could make out details, trees, grass, the old well.  What could he do to slow their fall? Could he reach her in time to shield her from the impact?

Thoughts flew through his head faster than he could register.  And then, the ground met them, first swallowing the girl as she fell through the portal, then slamming against his body as he hit the dirt inside the well.

It took him several moments to come to grips with his situation.  There was scuffling above him, concerned voices calling his name. Inuyasha slowly came back to himself, feeling his aching limbs and bruised body.  The first coherent thought he had was to confirm that Kagome was alright.

“Kagome?” he heard his own voice, thick with pain, call out to her.  “Kagome, are you alright?”

Only the silence answered him, and as his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness around him, he frantically looked around, terrified to find her limp lifeless form.  In relief, he saw that he was alone at the bottom of the well, not even a drop of her blood could be scented in the space. Then, a slow dawning realization. They were on opposite sides of the well.

“Inuyasha!” a familiar male voice shouted above him, “Kagome! Are you alright?”

Inuyasha stayed seated on the ground, his throat trying to make out the words to respond.  A glimmer caught his eye and he leaned forward unconsciously to bring it into focus. The Jewel! He still had it! Partially formed fears of never seeing Kagome again were erased instantly.  He had the Jewel, the well will open for him. Perhaps he need only try jumping in one more time.

Clawed hands grabbed the tiny pink stone and a sore, battle wearied body rose up, hauling itself out of the well with determination.  He met worried faces at the top. Scratched and blood smeared, Miroku and Sango reached out to grasp his arms as he laboriously pulled himself over the wooden lip.

“Where is Kagome-chan?” Sango asked fearfully, gazing down into the well.

“She went through,” Inuyasha said simply.  He leaned against the well, tight lipped and anxious.  “I’m going to follow her.”

A hand on his shoulder stopped him. “Wait, Inuyasha,” Miroku said, “What happened? You both disappeared.  Where is the Shikon no Tama?”

Inuyasha sighed and turned to his friends, holding out his hand to show them the pink jewel.  The group reacted with both relief and concern. At least they knew where it was and could take their time deciding what to do about it.  Then a shock of red hair popped out from behind Sango’s shoulder.

“It’s cracked!” Shippou said, pointing down at the Jewel.

All four heads leaned in close to inspect it.  Jagged cracks split the jewel neatly into four sections. Miroku reached out to touch it but Inuyasha snatched it back. 

“I’m going to get Kagome, we can figure out what it means later.”

Before anyone could protest, Inuyasha leapt into the well, letting the darkness swallow him.  He stumbled as he landed, and looked up into the serious faces of Miroku, Sango, and Shippou. The sinking feeling in his stomach knotted painfully.  All their eyes widened in realizing what it meant.

Inuyasha leapt out of the well, and immediately jumped back in.  And again. Miroku tried to stop him by the fifth try. Sango was sobbing as he tried for the dozenth time.  Inuyasha was beginning to hyperventilate and Miroku was supporting Sango and Shippou as they cried into his robes. “No…” Inuyasha kept whispering to himself, almost in a trance. It was late into the evening when even he had to admit it was futile.  Granted some privacy after the rest retreated to the village to care for their wounds, Inuyasha allowed the emotional impact of what just occurred slam him through his heart.

“KAGOME!!!”

…

The next few days were lost to him. He couldn’t be coaxed into eating, he hardly spoke to anyone.  In fact, he hardly left the clearing where the well stood mockingly. Sango and Shippou patched up his wounds beside the well, and Miroku watched over him at night.  Inuyasha sat mutely beside them as they discussed the recent events and what to do with the Jewel. Was it still powerful? Did it still need to be purified? There was no answer for them.

In the early light of another lonely dawn, Inuyasha stood before the well, his thoughts finally beginning to turn forward, towards the future.  They were grim, and his usually proud silhouette was hunched, ears wilting.

It might have only been a trick of the light, or purely his imagination, but as the half demon gazed down at the little round bauble in his hand, the sparkle glinting off its surfaced seem to be winking at him. He blinked and reassessed the jewel with clearer eyes.

_ What do you desire? _

Was it the Jewel?  Was it a question born from his own heart? Inuyasha didn’t know, but he answered it without thinking, putting all his frustration and feeling behind it as if his entire being moved to answer the question.

“I want to be with Kagome,” he whispered, “forever…”

The Jewel grew warm in his hand and began to glow.  The four cracks crunched, and split apart with a loud bang, and each section crumbled into dust before his eyes.  Around him, the wind picked up, lifting the powdered jewel and swirling it around him before a blinding white erupted with him in its center and fading away.  From beyond the clearing, Inuyasha could hear Miroku and Sango rushing toward him, sutras and boomerang ready. When his eyes recovered from the blinding light, he stared down at his empty hand in shock.

The Shikon no Tama was no more.

_ … _

The ancient spell was not easy to learn. Keiko spent all morning every morning purifying herself through meditation.  It was a challenge not to simply fall asleep. The power behind the spell lay with her ability to reach deep inside herself, to put her whole self into the casting chant, to lock it in place with a piece of her very soul.

Keiko groaned in frustration as the spell broke once again, wiping away perspiration from her forehead. Kaede smiled patiently at her young pupil.

“It is your reluctance to let go and surrender yourself that prevents you from completing this spell,” she said evenly, placing a calming, wrinkled hand on Keiko’s.

The younger girl sighed, twisting her neck to and fro to loosen up the kinks.  “I’m not sure I know what that means really,” she confessed.

Kaede stood, beckoning Keiko to do the same. “Come, let’s take a break and switch to meditation next.”

Keiko rolled her eyes jokingly and slowly stood, her knees protesting the movement, having long ago grown stiff and sore from inactivity.  Their sessions took place in a small gazebo at the back of the house, and as they stood, a white haired figure appeared instantly beside them.

“Done with all the holy stuff?” Inuyasha asked eagerly.  His neck and back popped almost rhythmically as he twisted this way and that, as though he were the one stuck in meditation lessons all morning.  He was behind Keiko, already finding the tight spots in her shoulders before she could respond.

“Mhmm…” she said with a sigh, “For now at least.”

Kaede led the way, politely ignoring the tender gestures the young couple behind her were making.  The mischievous fox demon gave them no such courtesy.

“Jeez, Inuyasha,” Shippou piped up, “Can’t you keep your paws off her for one afternoon?”

Inuyasha growled, and would have taken up the chase if Keiko hadn’t placed a hand on his arm, saving Shippou from a beating.  

“You can beat him to a pulp  _ after _ you finish with my shoulders and neck,” Keiko said, leaning further back against his chest.  Keiko was saved from her meditation lesson as Merlin approached them with a pensive expression on his face.  Kaede took notice and stepped forward to inquire.

“What is on your mind, young one?”

“Kaede-sama,” Merlin greeted, shaping his question carefully, “Our final battle is drawing near, and we have no plan or expectation as to how and where it will commence.”

Keiko stiffened slightly in Inuyasha’s arms.  Inuyasha could only sigh in resignation. Merlin was right.  They’ve been practicing spells and fighting but have made no real attempt to strategize.  Merlin gave Inuyasha an apologetic glance before continuing.

“It is to our advantage to ensure the confrontation is on our terms,” he stated simply.  Kaede nodded approvingly at him. 

“Yes,” she said, “Let us gather this evening to discuss this.”

Satisfied, Merlin nodded respectfully and turned to head back to the house.  Shippou joined him, sensing the heavy cloud hanging over Inuyasha and Keiko and deciding he’d rather not get in the middle of the pair right now.  Quietly, Inuyasha drew Keiko’s attention back to his hands, that were gently massaging her shoulders and neck. Keiko relaxed against him again, enjoying the feel of his strong body.  When she spoke, there was a renewed resolve in her voice.

“What do you think, Inuyasha?”

“Hmm?” Inuyasha responded.  He loosened his hold on her as she stepped away to face him.

“My soul, Naraku, our upcoming battle of epic proportions,” Keiko clarified, holding out her hands as if testing the weight of these heavy topics.  “It’s obvious all this is tied together somehow. All these pieces from the last time coming back. It’s as if whatever it was we were supposed to accomplish failed, and fate is giving us another chance, only with higher stakes.”

Inuyasha reached between them to cup her cheek, his other hand taking hold  of hers to bring it over his heart. Keiko smiled softly back at him, waiting for him to respond.  Finally, he sighed, deflating, and sat down against a nearby tree, pulling her into his lap. She acquiesced and sat perfectly still, to listen to the ageless hanyou.

“After you disappeared,” he began, “I think it took me several weeks to really understand that you were gone.  It shattered me. It felt like all the strength in my body, my will to live, just vanished. I was well and truly at my weakest, most vulnerable point in my life.  I think the jewel knew it.”

Keiko shifted slightly, in order to turn sideways and trace designs through the fabric of his shirt.  She murmured softly to encourage him to continue. Inuyasha closed his eyes, remember the strange voice and called to him that day.

_ What do you desire? _

The answer had been instinctual.  He wasn’t even sure if he regretted it.  It had been the only way to find Kagome again.  He had no means of knowing just how long hanyous lived, most die of unnatural causes.  

“I wished to be together with Kagome,” Inuyasha whispered into Keiko’s hair, “Forever.”

Keiko was so still, Inuyasha had to strain to hear her breathing.  He raised a hand to hold hers.

“The jewel broke into four pieces, then dissolved entirely.  Everything went white, then it was over.”

“You wished for eternity?” Keiko asked, shifting until she faced him.

“I’m not sure,” Inuyasha replied, “I told myself after that I must have made a pure wish of love, since it seemed like the jewel had been purified, and Kikyou had said a wish like that might just do it.  But when you think about, I was just being selfish.”

Soft hands reached out to soothe his clenching fists.  Inuyasha tried to make himself relax. This little monologue was making one thing abundantly clear, and it crushed him.

“All I could think about was my own misery, how lonely I felt.  I wasn’t thinking of saving anyone, ending suffering, world peace, any of that shit.  All I could see was my own desires.”

He looked at her now, sad, golden eyes radiating emotions so strong, it took her breath away.  “I’m sorry,” he said brokenly, “It’s all my fault. I did this to you. It’s my fault every lesser demon out there is trying to eat your soul.  We’re all here because of me.”

…

They all waited patiently that evening, for the lovers to return.  Shippou had said to let them be, and that they’ll come back when they’re ready, and the look on his face killed any complaints before they could form.  At last when Keiko and Inuyasha came back to the house, they all gathered in the living room and discussed how they would make their move.

Later that night, the moon made a shy sliver in the sky, and the silver haired hanyou lay in their shared bed, despondent under the weight of his guilt.  It took some effort, but slowly, at long last, Keiko’s attention drew him out of his self-loathing, and they lost themselves in each other’s heat, resolutely refusing to think about tomorrow, about the battle, about anything outside of circle of each other’s arms.

 


	8. Chapter 6

A/N: So… first off, sorry! I think the ending is rather abrupt… but I also didn't really want to change it too much beyond what i wrote in that one sitting… so… here ya go…..

* * *

New Moon Part VI

By Kitty

* * *

Naraku turned out to be a difficult demon to find. But when they did find him, the battle had them all scrambling for their lives.

"Merlin! Coral! Retreat!" Inuyasha bellowed the order desperately. Coral glanced toward the man of her life to find that his eyes were also on her. Deep, dark eyes, so expressive and loving, locked on her. She knew they shared a special bond. It was as intimately a part of her as her bones, her blood, her soul. And she knew that they sometimes shared the same thoughts, the same emotions. And when she looked into those deep, beautiful eyes, she knew that they were on the same wavelength. A little nod, the slightest change in the carriage of his head, told her all she needed to know. She felt his presence behind her, felt the slap of his sutras as he placed them along her hiraikotsu.

The world began to move in slow motion. The demons blocking their way surged towards them, mindless, crude, and overwhelming. His strong arms wrapped around her waist, soft lips against her neck. She steadied her legs, planted her feet, and readied her arms. Inuyasha's shouting faded into the distance and she thought she could hear, no, feel Merlin's heart beat within her. With a shout that turned into a scream, she began the perfect arc that would launch the giant boomerang towards their enemies. The strain seemed to tear at her muscles and somehow she knew her body would be broken after this defining moment. The light from his lovingly placed sutras blinded her eyes while the caustic miasma burned into her lungs. But through it all, his silent support steadied her from behind and she was able to complete her strike, feeling the leather straps rip from her hands before she crumbled to the ground, spent. A low rumble, and then a loud boom that cracked the dome surrounding them. "It's all you now, Keiko," Coral whispered as the blackness took her mind.

It was in a state of panic that Keiko finally managed the right words. The spell locked into place, creating a glowing pentagram on the Dome floor. A piercing scream echoed throughout the enclosed space, rattling the very foundation of the life-giving cage. First the outer tentacles, then his legs, slow, very slowly, the body of their arch nemesis began to melt away, like a rotting corpse accelerated by the poison of its own miasma. Coral and Merlin fell to the ground as the black muscled coils fell away.

"Coral! Merlin!" Keiko screamed, watching their bodies disappear into the cloud of poison. Inuyasha dove in after them, but it was already too late. He returned with a fist of Merlin's robes. Keiko's vision blurred with tears. All she could do was repeat the words, "I'm sorry, so sorry," over and over as she clutched the tiny scrap. Naraku's decaying body did not disintegrate like they had expected. It grew. Stretching out to the edges of the spell, seeking out the source of power that can give it peace. Keiko felt the ground shudder, then quake violently. Inuyasha held her close, muttering something she didn't quite catch. She looked to her protector, his tight grip around her shoulders almost painful.

"We gotta get outa here."

…

A rush of hot air and the unmistakable noxious smell of fuel blasted her in the face and she fought to keep up with Inuyasha. Suddenly, the taillights of the pod in front of them jerked. A reverberating rumble echoed down the passageway and the gates sprang open. Mechanical springs launched the tiny metallic capsule into the turbulent atmosphere and Inuyasha's cry of frustration was lost in the wind. Keiko's heart lurched in a sickening moment of panic when she realized she wouldn't be able to stop in time before reaching the edge of the gate.

The rain that pelted down burned like acid. Terrified by the stormy, turbulent world of exhaust and toxic waste stretching out before her, Keiko could only cling to Inuyasha's strong, confident arm that protected her from slipping downward onto the rocky abyss. She heard him grunt softly as he pulled her back into the sheltered alcove and hit the glowing red button to seal off the exit.

"DAMMIT," Inuyasha growled, watching the tiny escape pod rush away without them. They stood in the dark garage, the soft red light glowing overhead barely gave Keiko the light she needed to see her hanyou, not that her monstrously tearing eyes could make out much of anything besides blurry images. Her skin burned hot and stung like needles.

The Dome shook violently. It was a reaction to Naraku's explosive death. It was a reaction to the merger of the two worlds. The souls and ghosts released from the pits of hell screamed outward from the rift. Demons poured through like a flood, some burning in the purifying light of Keiko's spell, some powering through, only to be burned to death by the sinking poison, slowly falling through the cracks in the false sky. People had long since perished; the lucky few escaping would soon succumb to the noxious environment before reaching any of the other Domes, if they were still in operation. Keiko pressed her face into Inuyasha's chest, the realization of their predicament oddly calm in her heart.

"It happened about XXX years ago," she heard him say. The small figure clung to him weakly, her eyes still tearing in reaction to the polluted atmosphere just moments ago. She was grateful the ancient gas-mask still functioned properly or she would probably not be able to breath.

"World War III reduced the world into this place. I was convinced that humanity would die out. I thought maybe it would end the cycle, I pulled Katerina into the demon world, convinced that she would finally be with me forever, that the end of the human world would end my endless search."

Keiko finally managed to get a grip of herself. Inuyasha held her close, his thumb traced small circles on her back. She could feel her hot tears mingling with his silent ones and she knew he was mourning. He mourned the loss of the open sky, the deep, dark forests, and ultimately, the freedom that once existed for every living, pulsing organism on this little planet called earth.

"I wonder," she heard him start. "I wonder if this is supposed to be the next beginning."

Keiko shivered, feeling another rolling shudder pulse through the Dome. She looked out the small window, a crack growing across its surface. They were trapped. The walls would soon collapse and with no other operational Domes in signaling distance, there was little left but to wait for this city's demise.

"There were too many extremes," the demon said, "too much contrast between good and bad, prosperity and wasteland. I think the Earth was at a breaking point."

Keiko swallowed, listening quietly to Inuyasha's pondering. She was startled by what he said next.

"Us too, we're culprits to this unbalance." Keiko turned her face upward to scrutinize some meaning from his face. He continued his fierce gaze out the cracking window. Tainted air was already falling in, scorching the leather of their shoes as the heavy gas collected on the ground.

"You mean, my soul kept growing too powerful, and you kept living too long?" Keiko supplied.

"It goes beyond this," a sudden voice spoke behind them. Startled, the pair turned to stare in bewilderment at the newcomer. Silver white hair frazzled by the battle, Lord Sesshoumaru approached them, also staring at the dying world. In his hands, he tenderly clutched an old, worn hair ribbon, the only possession he thought to save from the initial burst of destruction.

Keiko and Inuyasha waited for the demon Lord to continue.

"Chichi-ue had hinted this to me," Sesshoumaru continued, "He wasn't supposed to save your mother. That is where the balance was tipped."

Inuyasha rounded on Sesshoumaru at this point, "You mean to tell me that me and my mother were supposed to be left for dead? That Oyaji was supposed to abandon us?"

"My mother and I," Sesshoumaru said softly, as close to muttering as the elegant demon could allow himself. Straightening, he clarified, "No, our esteemed father was meant to rescue only you. Leaving a defenseless woman and hanyou infant alone in the world was his error. The scars you bore from this backfired the original intent of your birth."

Keiko frowned in confusion while Inuyasha was more straightforward with his incomprehension. "What the hell does that mean?"

Sesshoumaru shifted uncomfortably, the acid in the air burned the sensitive lining of his nose. Inuyasha had also shifted, pulling Keiko closer to him and lifting her off the floor to spare her feet from the encroaching toxin.

"You were meant to inherit from Chichi-ue, to be a connection between races. Had Father succeeded, I might not have needed to separate the demon and human realms. The hatred and prejudice that warped your life was the first shift in the balance. You were originally meant to take the Shikon no Tama and be its guardian. You were meant to purify the jewel."

The stunned silence lasted for a breath, giving way to a multitude of questions.

"WHAT?!" Inuyasha exclaimed, "Are you crazy? Why would they give that thing to a half breed like me?"

"Wait a minute," Keiko cut in, "Doesn't that mean that Inuyasha and I would never have met?"

Sesshoumaru gave Keiko a cool assessing look. She shivered under his gaze but held his eyes. The demon's look softened as he recognized the strength and wisdom sleeping within this special human girl.

"None of us may know what might have happened," Sesshoumaru started, "The Shikon no Tama's presence signaled the start of the end. A new cycle was meant to begin and use the jewel's power as a starting point. In the end, Inuyasha did use the power of the jewel. It was a corrupt wish, and fragments of the jewels power reconnected themselves to you, Kagome. This brought your soul back time and time again."

Keiko's frown deepened as she tried to process and understand this information. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as well.

"You're telling me," he said slowly, ignoring the burning in his feet, "that this end of the world shit was going to happen regardless and it was always going to be because of me."

"Your role was to end the war between humans and demons, bring peace to both races. The Shikon no Tama would have given you the power to watch over that peace together into the next cycle. Instead, the ripples from Chichi-ue's mistake created a runaway process that further strained that tipping balance."

"You keep mentioning a new era, the next cycle?" Keiko spoke up, finally catching up in the discussion, "What's the next cycle?"

Sesshoumaru glanced out the window, "Life happens in waves. We rise and ebb like the tides. This push and pull is a carefully managed balance. Each new cycle brings about turbulent change and needs a seed to commence. That is what was missing in this balance, a seed for new life to begin."

"Eh…" said Inuyasha, face contorting with disbelief and skepticism, "We were supposed to create a new world and be gods of it?" The tone of his question struck Keiko as inanely funny and she fought the nervous laughter bubbling up from inside of her with limited success.

Sesshoumaru ignored her giggle fit, gazing at the couple thoughtfully as she regained control of herself before murmuring, "The two of you may yet play out your responsibility in this era."

The demon Lord straightened his shoulders before explaining for the confused couple. "Purify this world, Keiko, your soul's accumulation of wisdom and strength must prepare for the new era. Inuyasha will carve the way for you, the Wind Scar can split the fumes long enough to complete this. It is your duty. I cannot leave this world until I see it done, you cannot leave this world until the new one is born."

The taller of the two silver headed figures watched the human girl carefully. Her eyes gazed into his golden irises with trust but confusion. Blue-grey eyes narrowed in an attempt to comprehend what she was being told. And slowly, fear and understanding grew inside them.

"This world is tired, Keiko," Sesshoumaru stated, in a voice uncharacteristically haggard, "and only you can bring it peace."

…

As they approached the top of the Dome, Keiko could feel the suit give way. The burning sensation felt like live, hot coals on her arms and legs but she set her jaw, determined to see this through. When they reached their goal, she saw the reality of what she must do. Swallowing, her tears ran freely down her cheeks as she clutched his haori. Had she glanced up at him, she would have seen from his horrified expression that he too realized what she must do.

Nullify the corruption and darkness in the decaying body beneath them.

Nullify it with her body and soul.

' _I can't do this,'_ Keiko thought frantically, ' _I can't do this.'_

But she knew she must. Inuyasha would never let her go if she showed any trepidation. This time, she must be the stronger of the two of them. With squared shoulders, she faced her lover.

"Is Tetsaiga ready?"

Inuyasha's tortured eyes shook her resolve. ' _Please,'_ they begged, ' _Please don't do this!'_

He searched her face, the reflections off the glass covering her features obscured his vision of her beautiful hair. The darkness around them cast a grey shadow over her face, normally so flush with life. The tight line that was her lips, the determination, he knew it must be done but it shattered his whole being to do it. Gently, he flipped back the protective visor and called upon the Tetsaiga's power while he plundered her lips one final time.

Keiko responded to his advance, pulling him close, letting her feelings strengthen her. This was a farewell kiss, and the demon lord watching them felt pinpricks of tears behind his eyes as he witnessed the heart-wrenching scene.

"Thank you, brother," Sesshoumaru said, his voice loud and heartfelt. He dutifully watched the painful scene, knowing it must be watched. Remembered. Their sacrifice will be worshiped in the next era to come. Kagome – no, Keiko turned from his brother and faced the pool of darkness below her. Inuyasha's windscar slowly began to build up power. With a mighty leap high into the air, Sesshoumaru watched his brother swing that familiar sword in that familiar arch downward, the wind parting the way for that small, small shape to drop into the void.

' _I will never stop searching for you!'_

The cry was faint and Sesshoumaru thought the wind was playing with his hearing. When he squinted at the little shape just before it disappeared into blackness, golden eyes widened in surprise to see a smile on the girl's lips. She was looking up at the speck of red above her and when she responded from the dark depths, the whole earth shook to relay the message.

' _I'll be waiting…'_

…

"My children, this is the tale of how our world was created. The wind still seeks her out, the mother of us all. In all her secret places, the caves, the oceans, the mountains and forests. When you hear the wind sing, it is because he has found her. They live on, within us and around us.

One day, one of our children will bear the same fate, come into a power that will shatter the world. Do not fear it. Be brave, and be strong, and be thankful and mindful of the love that gave birth to our world."

The children before her fidgeted and she smiled her old golden eyes at them. They waited, and her smile spread to her lips. Finally, she spoke again.

"You are dismissed, children."

The relief was unmistakable as the children scrambled out of the storykeeper's hut. The older children were more respectful, and bid her farewell as they departed. She watched them go and wondered silently to herself, ' _I hope I am doing right by you great grandfather Sesshoumaru-sama. Their story remains safe and their love is emblazoned into the hearts of all the residents of this little town. The next town as well, and the next. They will all be reminded of this tale.'_

…

**Epilogue:**

Indeed, the wind was always searching, endlessly seeking her out. And deep, deeply nestled in the roots of the old Goshinboku tree, a consciousness was beginning to form. The wind sang more frequently now, having sensed the growing presence. It blew in storm clouds and fresh rains, urging the little spark to grow faster. At times, near dusk, the wind grew still at the base of the tall, dying tree. It would take shape, slowly, a strange blurry form of red and white. The strange figure would kneel before the withered bark and press a wispy clawed hand against the warm, moist earth.

' _Grow quickly,'_ the air the whispered, ' _come see this world you've created.'_

One day, to the wind's great surprise, the soil shifted in response to his request, and a soft, warm hand reached upward to grasp his own. And they sat together quietly, hand in hand underneath the dead tree, as the sun rose beyond them and lit up the new, green earth.

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A/N: Sorry for taking so long with updates and stuff for this fic. It just kept getting more and more depressing….. I couldn't open it for a long time because I didn't want to be depressed…. I need to be in a particular mood in order to write this story, usually after something gets me down on the news or in life or something, so I'm going to take it as a good thing that I'm running out of steam for this one…. Sorry about the rushed ending… And really sorry for the loose ends and plot holes. Since this took so many years to complete, i didn't really map out the plot very well so some things are left hanging… Part of the reason why i'm even posting this is because i don't want to have this depressing story hanging over my head anymore… haha…

So, regarding the ending. I'm actually pretty satisfied. I like that Inuyasha and Kagome become symbolic entities of who they were in life. Kagome was the ground, the earth, nurturing, supporting, embracing, accepting. Whereas Inuyasha was the wind, free, devastatingly strong and gentle in surprising ways, always moving as if seeking something. Wind by itself doesn't make a sound, it's when it interacts with the earth and the things that grow on it that it can sing, and it needs to touch something in order to be sensed and felt. I think earth and wind really describe these two characters very well and highlights their differences as well as the harmony between them. Take what you want from the story, but these little thoughts and ideas were what I was thinking while I wrote it.

Thanks so much for reading!


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